^^  oi  tut  »«>%»al  ^^_  ^ 


PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


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BS  2505  .F6313  1896 

Fouard,  Constant  Henri,  IBS') 

-1904. 
Saint  Paul  and  his  missions 


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SAINT    PAUL 
AND    HIS    MISSIONS 


Nftîl  cbstat. 

A.  P.  DOYLE,  CoNG  :  St.  Paul. 

Censor  Deputatus. 


imprimatur  : 

*  MICHAEL   AUGUSTIN  US, 

Archiepiscopus  Neo-Eboracensîs. 


NeoEboraci,  die  28,  Julii,  1894. 


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ST.  PAUL'S 

FIRST  AND  SECOND 


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SAINT    PAUL 


AND     HIS     MISSIONS 


By  the   abbe   CONSTANT   FOUARD 


^ranslateïi  tot'tf)  tf)r  ^utfjor's  sanction  anK  cnaperatton 
By  GEORGE    F.  X.  GRIFFITH 


LONGMANS,    GREEN,    AND    CO. 

LONDON,  NEW  YORK,  AND  BOMBAY 

i; 


Copyright,  1894, 
By  George  F.  X.  Griffith. 


First  Edition,  October,  i! 
Reprinted,  May,  1895. 


Hîttberstb  Press: 

John  Wilson  and  Son,  Cambridge,  U.S.A. 


PREFACE. 


"  Cor  Christi  cor  Pauli  erat," 
Saint  John  Chrysostom, 

Horn,  xxxii.,  in  Ep.  ad  Rom.,  3. 

In  the  preceding  volume  of  this  series  ^  I  endeavored 
to  give  a  summary  of  so  much  as  is  known  concerning 
the  earliest  years  of  Christianity  (from  30  to  45  a.  d.). 
Therein  we  watched  together  the  growth  of  the  new-born 
Church,  and  its  development  under  the  fostering  care  of  the 
Apostles,  and  of  Peter  in  particular,  as  their  Head  and 
guide.  But  neither  the  brief  account  in  the  Acts,  nor  the 
primitive  traditions,  few  and  unsatisfactory  as  they  are  for 
this  period,  could  furnish  us  with  a  perfect  picture  of  those 
times  ;  over  many  a  point  of  interest  the  shadows  of  history 
have  settled  and  darken  our  vision.  On  the  contrary,  the 
facts  of  the  ensuing  age  (from  45  to  62)  stand  forth  in  an 
unclouded  atmosphere,  plain  and  unmistakable.  Begin- 
ning with  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  the  Acts,  Saint  Luke's 
narrative  is  no  longer  the  bare  memorial  of  Saint  Peter, 
but  becomes  a  History  of  Saint  Paul  ;  the  former  wellnigh 
disappears  from  the  inspired  page,  thus  demonstrating  the 
importance  of  the  part  played  by  his  brother  in  the  Aposto- 
late  in  the  war  he  was  to  wage  against  Judaism. 

As  the  varying  fortunes  of  Christianity  in  this  struggle 
for  life  form  the  subject  of  the  present  work,  it  is  but 
natural  that  Saint  Paul  should  take  his  place  as  its  hero, 
sole  master  and  director  of  the  work  which  God  had  given 
into  his  especial  charge.     Of  set  purpose  I  have  sought  to 

'  The  Beginnings  of  the  Church  :  Saint  Peter  and  the  First  Years 
of  Christianity  (Longmans). 


vi  PREFACE. 

keep  the  Apostle's  mission  work  unencumbered  by  any 
details  foreign  to  the  subject,^  and  this  the  more  willingly 
because  that  part  of  the  Acts  wherein  his  labors  are 
recounted,  and  the  Letters  of  Saint  Paul  which  are  con- 
temporary with  this  work,  have  both  had  the  rare  good 
fortune  of  being  acknowledged  as  authentic  by  the  most 
exacting  critics.  Hence,  no  longer  amid  the  shadows  of 
dawn,  but  by  the  clear  morning  light  of  history,  we  shall 
be  able  to  study  the  events  described  in  this  volume.  We 
shall  learn,  from  the  testimony  of  witnesses  who  are  beyond 
reproach,  what  they  themselves  meant  by  their  faith  in 
Jesus,  His  Church,  its  teaching  and  Christianity  as  a  living 
whole,  when  but  twenty  years  had  passed  away  since  the 
death  of  that  Divine  Saviour  of  mankind. 

The  sole  objection  which  our  opponents  would  urge 
against  the  truth  of  the  facts  related  by  Saint  Luke  has  to 
do  with  the  Miracles,  which  they  set  down  as  incredible. 
In  the  Preface  to  Saint  Peter,  I  have  said  what  I  think 
concerning  this  arbitrary  distinction  ;  it  is  not  necessary  to 
return  to  the  subject  here.  As  for  the  six  Letters  written 
by  the  Apostle  during  those  seventeen  years,  four  of  the 
number  —  the  Epistles  to  the  Corinthians,  Galatians,  and 
Romans  —  are  regarded  as  incontestable  ;  the  other  two, 
addressed  to  the  Church  of  Thessalonica,  have  given  rise  to 
objections,  it  is  true,  but  so  futile  are  these  criticisms  that 
it  were  useless  to  notice  them,  as  even  the  Rationalists  them- 
selves confess.^  The  student  will  find  them  set  forth  and 
clearly  refuted  in  any  exegetical  work. 

That  the  authenticity  of  these  Epistles  should  be  ac- 
knowledged as  unquestionable  is  a  point  of  serious  consc' 
quence  for  our  work,  since,  though  the  sequence  of  events 
is  not  as  apparent  therein  as  in   the   Acts,  Paul   himself 

1  It  was  with  this  intention  that  I  explained  beforehand  the  main 
features  of  the  ministry  of  Peter  and  the  Twelve,  for  had  they  been 
embodied  in  the  present  work  they  would  have  marred  its  unity.  What 
remains  to  be  said  concerning  these  Apostles,  especially  their  canonical 
letters,  will  be  in  place  when  we  come  to  consider  the  last  years  of  Saint 
Paul's  life,  which  will  form  the  subject  of  my  next  volume. 

2  Renan  in  the  introduction  to  his  Saint  Paul  (see  pp.  v  and  vi)  says: 
"  The  difficulties  which  certain  modern  writers  have  raised  against  them 
are,  after  all,  but  those  light  suspicions  which  criticism  is  in  duty  bound 
to  express  freely,  but  without  dwelling  on  them  when  far  stronger  reasons 
appear  to  outweigh  them.  In  this  case,  these  Epistles  haA'e  a  character  of 
authenticity  which  overbalances  all  other  considerations." 


PREFACE.  vii 

stands  forth  as  a  living  character  far  more  vividly  in  his 
own  letters  than  in  Saint  Luke's  narration  of  his  deeds. 
Accordingly  I  have  made  much  use  of  these  writings  of  the 
Apostle,  though  without  quoting  them  entire,  since  certain 
passages  can  only  be  comprehended  with  the  help  of  a 
lengthy  commentary  which  would  greatly  detract  from  the 
interest  of  the  story.  To  make  up  for  these  omissions  and 
give  my  readers  an  idea  of  how  they  can  supply  what  they 
need  for  private  study,  I  will  indicate  here  some  reasons  for 
the  difficulties  which  we  all  have  to  encounter  in  reading 
his  works. 

First  and  foremost,  we  must  understand  something  of  the 
Apostle's  genius,  overflowing  from  its  own  fecundity  borne 
along  by  a  spirit  which  brooks  no  obstacle,  no  delay.  His 
mind  is  ever  as  quick  as  it  is  powerful,  able  to  embrace  all 
sides  of  the  truth  at  a  glance,  without  stopping  to  dwell  on 
any  one  main  thought.  His  eagerness  to  express  the  idea 
in  its  fulness  produced  those  periods  which  we  find  in  the 
Epistles,  broken,  loaded  with  details  which  are  often  made 
as  prominent  as  the  leading  thought,  wandering  into  devel- 
opments which  go  astray  and  even  lose  the  point  at  issue. 
Were  we  to  apply  our  modern  analytical  rules  to  documents 
like  this,  or  try  to  bring  out  a  methodical  order  and  a  just 
equilibrium  between  the  various  parts,  we  should  indeed 
have  our  labor  for  our  pains.  The  only  way  to  understand 
them  aright  is  to  accept  them  for  what  they  are,  —  the 
words  of  a  man  of  Eastern  blood,  taken  down  from  his  own 
improvisations.^  Saint  Paul,  we  must  always  bear  in  mind, 
did  not  write  them  himself  ;  he  dictated  all  his  Epistles. 
"  Here  I,  Paul,  salute  you  with  mine  own  hand.  This  is  my 
signature  to  all  my  letters  ;  thus  I  write.  May  the  grace 
of  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all.     ArneJi  !  "  ^ 

Doubtless,  when  the  letter  was  finished,  the  Apostle  read 
it  over,  but  without  a  thought  for  the  faults  of  style,  and  the 
sentences  which  were  too  involved  or  too  curt  and  unfin- 

1  The  deep  impress  of  Oriental  customs  and  character  on  S.  Paul's 
Epistles  is  notable  in  many  ways,  in  those  long  salutations,  for  example, 
which  to  this  day  the  peoples  of  those  parts  inscribe,  as  the  Apostle  did, 
at  the  opening  and  close  of  their  official  documents,  treaties,  letters,  etc. 

2  2  Thess,  iii.  17, 18.  Doubtless  it  was  when  forged  letters  purporting 
to  be  from  S.  Paul  (2  Thess.  ii.  2)  began  to  be  circulated,  that  the  Apostle 
adopted  the  custom  of  appending  a  few  words  with  his  own  hand,  to  serve 
as  an  authentic  seal  to  the  Epistles  he  was  sending  out. 


viu  PREFACE. 

ished.  Far  from  being  troubled  by  the  incessant  repetitions, 
he  was  rather  delighted  to  find  the  same  word  recurring  to 
enforce  and  inculcate  his  master  thought  ;  when  he  re-read 
them,  as  when  he  wrote  them,  he  was  too  absorbed  in  his 
subject-matter  to  think  of  the  form  it  was  cast  in.  It  would 
appear  that  a  few  notes  dotted  on  the  margin  were  the  only 
corrections  that  ever  occurred  to  him  ;  and  these  perhaps 
are  the  sentences  which,  when  they  came  to  be  inserted 
afterwards  in  the  text,  read  now  like  parentheses,  overload- 
ing and  even  quite  obscuring  certain  passages. 

Yet  it  is  only  fitting  to  add  that  Saint  Paul,  with  his 
Hebrew  birth  and  education,  was  addressing  his  words,  not 
to  men  of  this  day,  trained  to  be  reasoners  and  logicians  in 
Western  schools,  but  to  Orientals,  to  Israelites  and  their 
proselytes,  all  more  or  less  accustomed  to  the  involved 
discussions  of  the  Synagogue.  Now,  for  the  Jew,  no  truth 
merited  belief,  however  well  founded  on  reason  it  might 
appear  to  be,  if  it  could  not  be  confirmed  from  the  Scrip- 
tures. This  then  is  why  we  find  such  frequent  appeals  to 
the  Old  Testament  in  Saint  Paul's  letters,  with  quotations 
dwelt  on  at  such  length.  When  once  the  words  of  the 
Apostle  are  relieved  of  this  mass  of  Judaic  argumentation, 
we  realize  with  new  force  how  mighty  and  stirring  they  are. 
I  have  endeavored  so  to  lighten  his  discourse  whenever 
these  discussions  of  Scripture  embarrassed  the  onward 
march  of  his  thought,  —  not  of  course  with  any  idea  of 
relieving  the  student  from  meditating  on  the  Apostle's 
language  as  a  whole.  The  analysis  given  in  these  pages 
can  only  serve  him  as  a  guide  to  a  better  understanding  of 
the  sacred  text,  as  a  helper  till  such  time  as  he  can  master 
and  make  Paul's  thoughts  his  own. 

Such  personal  labor  is  a  necessity  for  any  one  who  would 
learn  to  know  Saint  Paul  ;  but,  once  accomplished,  the  task 
will  bring  its  reward  in  an  undying  love  for  him  and  these 
letters  of  his,  however  hard  reading  they  may  sometimes 
seem.  If  the  studious  mind  must  needs  drop  them  now  and 
again  from  sheer  weariness  at  the  application  they  demand, 
yet  it  always  returns  gladly,  and  the  deeper  we  sound  their 
depths,  the  more  irresistible  becomes  their  attraction,  be- 
cause surely  there  is  no  other  work  in  the  literature  of 
mankind  wherein  its  author  reveals  his  own  feelings  so 
frankly.  Herein  he  shows  himself  in  all  the  varying  moods 
of  his  genius,  now  fiery  and  impetuous,  but  at  the  same 


PREFACE.  ix 

time  full  of  tact,  perfect  presence  of  mind,  and  prudent 
reserve  ;  despite  his  unconquerable  force  of  soul,  giving 
way  to  grievous  depression  ;  ^  unbending  in  his  uprightness, 
yet  shrewd,  well  versed  in  the  art  of  covert  allusions  and 
oratorical  tricks  of  speech.  All  these  movements  of  his 
soul  are  plainly  visible  as  we  turn  the  inspired  pages,  gleam- 
ing out  under  the  most  diverse  forms,  —  keen  irony,  threats, 
tender  supplications,  tears,  and  soul-stirring  cries  of  love. 
The  words  of  Jesus  in  the  New  Testament,  and  the  Psalms 
of  David  in  the  Old,  can  alone  so  touch  our  hearts. 

Here  then  where  Paul's  great  heart  beats  so  loudly  in 
our  ears,  I  have  had  no  fear  of  wearying  my  readers.  I 
have  not  stinted  myself  in  these  citations,  and  I  have  used 
his  own  words  all  the  more  gladly,  because  the  Acts  fails  to 
give  us  a  complete  notion  of  the  Apostle's  character.  Read- 
ing his  life  story  in  Saint  Luke  alone,  one  would  imagine 
that  his  was  a  forceful  and  energetic  nature,  capable  of 
breaking  down  and  dominating  all  resistance,  yet  devoid  of 
grace  and  tenderness  withal  ;  the  Epistles  give  us  the  softer 
lines  lacking  in  this  bold  sketch,  showing  us  that  mingled 
with  this  strength  of  will  were  certain  qualities  of  heart 
and  soul  which  made  him  eminently  lovable.  It  is  in  this 
that  Saint  Paul  differs  from  those  great  men  of  earth  who, 
like  him,  have  been  leaders  of  mankind.  Pride  and  egoism 
are  the  distinguishing  traits  of  these  masterful  characters, 
their  personality  thereby  crushing  and  absorbing  all  that 
stands  in  their  way.  Such  men  of  genius  succeed  in  sub- 
jugating their  fellows  for  a  time,  they  extort  our  obedience 
and  compel  our  admiration  ;  they  cannot  win  our  love.  Saint 
Paul's  Epistles  prove  that  his  greatness  sprang  from  a  very 
different  source  ;  he  is  the  peer  of  the  most  powerful  spirits 
of  this  world,  in  mind,  in  vigorousness  of  action,  in  mastery 
of  men's  souls  ;  yet  always  he  is  a  man  like  one  of  us, 
winning  our  hearts  as  much  by  the  weaknesses  as  by  the 
generosity  of  his  nature.  As  loyally  as  he  lays  bare  before 
us  the  mighty  aspirations  of  his  heart,  even  so  frankly 
does  he  conceal  not  a  whit  of  his  wretchedness  and  his 
physical  infirmities,  thus  tempering  his  native  pride  with 
the  charm  of  a  touching  humility.  It  is  he  himself  who 
tells  us  of  that  constant  state  of  illness  which  helped  to 

1  1  Cor.  ii.  3;  2  Cor.  i.  8,  9;  iv.  9;  vii.  5;  xii.  7-10;  Acts  xviii,  9; 
xxiii.  ;  etc. 


X  PREFACE. 

make  his  soul  so  compassionate,  so  prone  to  tears,  and 
accessible  to  all  gentler  feelings  ;  he  himself  confesses  to 
that  terror  which  seized  his  soul  in  the  hours  of  some 
great  crisis  ;  and  of  that  ''  thorn  in  the  flesh,  the  Angel  of 
Satan  who  buffets  him."  ^ 

And  as  we  gaze  upon  this  spectacle  of  passions  so  diverse 
—  nay,  often  so  contrary  —  exemplified  in  the  life  of  this 
man,  how  can  we  help  recognizing  that  this  unexampled 
greatness  was  not  due  to  nature  alone  ?  God's  grace  is  a  part 
of  him.  'Ï  is  Jesus  Who  made  the  haughty  Scribe  so  meek 
and  humble  of  heart,  revealing  to  him  that  in  Christian 
love  is  the  true  crown  of  righteousness;  He  it  is  Who 
transformed  the  fanatical  Jew  of  Damascus  into  that  "  per- 
fect man  in  the  Christ."  ^  This  the  Apostle  himself  once 
declared  to  his  dear  Galatians  in  a  sentence  which  sums 
up  the  present  work  and  solves  all  its  apparent  contra- 
dictions :  —  "I  live  —  nay,  not  I  !  't is  the  Christ  that 
liveth  in  me."^ 

1  2  Cor.  xii.  7.  '^  Coloss.  i.  28.  ^  Qal.  ii.  20. 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


Page 
Author's  Preface v 


CHAPTER  I. 

SAINT  Paul's  first  visit  to  Cyprus. 

The  Church  of  Antioch.  —  Barnabas  and  Paul  sent  to  the  Gentiles. — 
Cyprus.  —  Cultus  of  Venus.  —  Paphos.  —  Sergius  Paulus.  —  Elymas 
stricken  blind.  —  Asia  Minor.  —  Political  Status,  peculiar  Forms  of 
Worship  and  Geographical  Features  of  this  Region.  —  Paul  and  Bar- 
nabas land  on  the  Pamphylian  Coast.  —  Mark  leaves  them  ....         1 


CHAPTER  II. 

first   missionary    work.  —  GALATIAo 

Antioch  in  Pisidia.  —  Paul  preaches  in  the  Synagogue  of  that  City.  — 
Disowned  by  the  Jews,  he  addresses  the  Gentiles.  —  Iconium. — 
Saint  Thekla.  —  Lystra.  —  Derbë.  —  The  Churches  of  Galatia.  —  The 
Return  to  Antioch 25 

CHAPTER  III. 

THE   ASSEMBLY   OF   JERUSALEM. 

Judaism  as  modified  by  the  Israelites  of  the  Dispersion.  —  Rigorous  Spirit 
prevailing  in  Jerusalem.  —  Paul  and  the  Circumcision.  —  The  Assem- 
bly at  Jerusalem.  —  Letters  forwarded  to  the  Churches  in  Gentile 
territory.  —  Peter  and  Paul  at  Antioch  , 52 


Page 


xii  TABLE  OF   CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

SECOND   MISSION.  —  PREACHING  AGAIN   IN   ASIA   MINOR. 

Paul  and  Barnabas  separate.  —  Apostolic  Labors  of  Barnabas  and  Mark. 

—  Paul  and  Silas  visit  the  Churches  of  Lycaonia.  —  Timothy. — 
Preaching  in  Galatian  Territory.  —  Population  and  Religious  Ten- 
dencies of  this  Region.  —  The  Apostle  is  prevented  from  entering 

Asia  and  Bithynia.  —  Paul's  Vision  at  Troas.  —  Luke 80 

CHAPTER  V. 

SECOND   MISSION. — MACEDONIA. 

I.    Philippi. 

Voyage  from  the  Asiatic  Coasts  to  Neapolis  in  Macedonia.  —  Origin,  Re- 
ligious Tendencies  and  Morals  of  Philippi.  —  Paul  preaches  in  the 
Proseucha  of  this  City.  —  Lydia's  Conversion.  —  The  Pythoness.  — 
Paul  and  Silas  whipped.  —  Their  Release 107 

n.     Thessalonica. 

The  Egnatian  Road  from  Philippi  to  Thessalonica.  —  Paul  preaches  to 
the  Workingmen  of  Thessalonica.  —  The  Expectation  of  the  Day  of 
Judgment.  —  Riotous  attacks  by  the  Jews.  -^  Paul  at  Beroea    .     .     .     124 

CHAPTER  VI. 

SECOND   MISSION.  —  ATHENS. 

General  Aspect  of  Athens  in  Saint  Paul's  Day.  —  A  City  of  Schools  and 
Literary  Men.  —  The  Acropolis.  —  Religious  Tendencies  of  Athe- 
nians.—  The  Agora.  —  Paul  before  the  Areopagus.  —  His  Discourse. 

—  Incompatibility  of  the  Greek  Genius  and  the  Gospel 139 

CHAPTER  VII. 

SECOND   MISSION.  —  CORINTH. 

I.     Foundation  of  the  Corinthian  Church. 

Prosperity  of  Corinth  after  its  Restoration  by  Csesar.  —  Depravity  of  Pub- 
lic Morals.  —  The  Apostle  lodges  with  Aquila  and  Priscilla, —  Church 
of  Corinth  is  founded  and  speedily  separates  from  the  Synagogue.  — 
Numerous  Conversions  among  all  Classes  of  Society 158 


TABLE   OF  CONTENTS.  xiii 

II.  The  Epistles  to  the  Thessalonians.  •  p^gk 
Faithfulness  of  the  Thessalonians  despite  Persecutions.  —  Paul's  First 
Epistle  addressed  to  this  Church.  —  Praise  and  Thanksgiving.  —  Ex- 
pectations of  a  speedy  End  of  the  World.  —  Growing  Anxiety  on  the 
part  of  the  Thessalonians.  —  The  Second  Epistle.  —  Signs  foretoken- 
ing the  Last  Day.  —  Apostasy.  —  The  Antichrist.  —  Another  Upris- 
ing of  the  Jews.  —  Paul  before  Gallio's  Judgment  Seat 169 


CHAPTER  ym. 

DAILY   LIFE  AND   WORSHIP   IN   THE   PRIMITIVE   CHURCHES. 

Extraordinary  Abundance  of  Supernatural  Gifts.  —  Enumeration  and 
Classification  of  the  Special  Graces.  —  Prophecy.  —  The  Gift  of 
Tongues.  —  Government  of  Christian  Communities.  —  Forms  of 
"Worship  borrowed  from  the  Synagogue  :  Hymns,  Prayers,  Sermons. 
—  The  Agape  and  the  Eucharist.  —  Observance  of  the  Sabbath, 
Fasts,  and  Feast  Days  under  New  Dispensation 185 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   THIRD   MISSION.  —  EPHESUS. 

Paul  takes  the  Vows  of  a  Nazarite.  —  Takes  Ship  from  Corinth  for  Jeru- 
salem. —  Again  departs  from  Antioch  on  his  Third  Missionary  Jour- 
ney, and  visits  the  Churches  of  Asia  Minor.  —  Ephesus.  —  Temple  of 
Artemis.  —  Apollos  in  Ephesus.  —  Paul  again  lodges  with  Aquila  and 
Priscilla.  —  "The  Christians  of  S.  John."  —  School  of  Tyrannus.  — 
Jewish  Exorcists  and  Ephesian  Superstitions 211 


CHAPTER  X. 

THIRD   MISSION. —  THE    CHURCHES   OP  THE   PROVINCE   OF  ASIA. 

The  Province  of  Asia.  —  Political  Status.  —  Prosperity  of  the  Country. 
—  Rapid  Progress  of  Christianity.  —  The  Churches  of  the  Lycus 
Valley.  —  Colossse,  Laodicœa,  Hierapolis.  —  Influence  of  SS.  Paul 
and  John  respectively  in  these  Parts 235 


xiv  TABLE   OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

THIRD   MISSION.  —  DISSENSIONS   IN   THE    CHURCH   OF   CORINTH. 

Page 

ApoUos  in  Coriuth.  —  Factions  and  disorderly  Demonstrations  in  this 
Churcli.  —  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians.  —  The  Apostle's  Preach- 
ing and  the  Party  Feeling  there.  —  Excommunication  of  the  Inces- 
tuous Man.  —  Recourse  to  Heathen  Courts  of  Justice.  —  Replies  to 
Questions  put  to  him  by  Christians  of  Corinth  :  Chastity  in  the  State 
of  Celibacy  and  Wedlock.  —  Meats  offered  to  Idols.  —  Unbefitting 
Conduct  at  Religious  Gatherings.  —  Spiritual  Gifts  :  Love  the  Crown 
of  all.  —  Resurrection  of  the  Dead 252 

CHAPTER  XII. 

THIRD   MISSION.  —  LEAVING    EPHESUS.  —  SECOND    VISIT    TO 
MACEDONIA. 

I.     The  Disturbances  at  Ephesus. 

Incertitude  and  Changes  of  the  Apostle's  Plans.  —  Titus's  Mission.  — 
Collection  for  the  Jerusalem  Church.  —  The  Feasts  for  the  Month 
of  Artemis.  —  Outbreak  in  Ephesus 280 

W.     Second  Visit  to  Macedonia. 

Paul's  Preaching  in  Troas.  —  Crosses  over  to  Macedonia.  —  Titus's  Re- 
turn.—  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians 301 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

SAINT   PAUL   AND    THE   JUDAIZING   ELEMENT. 

Missionary  Labors  in  Macedonia  and  Illyria.  —  Paul's  Arrival  at  Cor- 
inth.—  The  Judaizers  of  Galatia.  —  Epistle  to  the  Galatians    .     .     .     311 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

PAUL  WRITES   TO   THE   ROMANS. 

Saint  Paul  summarizes  his  Teachings  concerning  the  Faith  in  its  Relations 
to  Judaism.  —  Reasons  which  moved  him  to  address  this  Epistle  to 
the  Romans.  — Analysis  of  the  Epistle.  —  Powerlessness  of  fallen  Man 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS.  XV 

Page 

to  rise  without  God's  Grace.  —  Redemption  and  Justification  operate 
through  Faith  in  Jesus.  —  Fruits  of  this  Justification.  —  The  Jews, 
though  rejected  because  of  their  Incredulity,  will  one  Day  re- 
ceive Salvation  and  Forgiveness,  —  Practical  Counsels  of  Morality. 

—  Greetings 326 

CHAPTER  XV. 

THE   EETURN   TO   JERUSALEM. 

Jews  of  Corinth  plot  to  destroy  the  Apostle.  —  Philippi  revisited.  — 
Paul's  Voyage  along  the  Coast  of  the  Archipelago.  —  Troas.  —  Mile- 
tus. —  Patara.  —  Tyre.  —  Ptolemais.  —  Caesarea  in  Palestine  .     .     .     346 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE   RIOTS   IN    JERUSALEM. —  PAUL    ARRESTED. 

The  Apostle's  Visit  to  James  and  the  Elders  of  Jerusalem.  —  Paul  and 
the  Nazarites  in  the  Temple.  —  Uprising  of  the  Jews.  —  Lysias  in- 
tervenes. —  Paul  before  the  Sanhédrin.  —  Conspiracy  reported  by 
Paul's  Nephew.  —  Lysias  sends  the  Apostle  to  Csesarea 361 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE   PRISONER   OF   C^SAREA   IN   PALESTINE. 

The  Procurator  Felix.  —  The  Apostle  appears  before  him.  —  Paul  and 
Drusilla.  —  Two  Years'  Imprisonment  in  Caesarea.  —  Recall  of  Felix. 

—  Paul  and  Festus.  —  The  Appeal  to  Cœsar.  —  Paul  before  Agrippa 

and  Berenice 380 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

FROM   CfflSAREA   TO   ROME   BY   SEA. 

Julius,  the  Centurion.  —  Departure  from  Csesarea.  —  Sidon.  —  Myra.  — 
The  Prisoners  transferred  to  a  Ship  from  Alexandria.  —  Halt  in  the-' 
Harbor  of  Fair  Havens.  —  The  Storm.  —  Shipwreck  on  the  Maltese 
Coast.  —  Three  Months'  Stay  in  the  Island. —  Syracuse. —  Puteoli. 
—  The  Appian  Way.  —  Entrance  into  Rome 397 


xvi  TABLE   OF   CONTENTS, 

EPILOGUE. 

Page 

Saint  Paul's  peculiar  Mission  in  tlie  Church.  —  Results  of  his  Labors     .     412 

APPENDIX. 

The   Chronology   of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  from  Saint  Paul's  First 

Mission  Journey  up  to  his  Arrival  in  Rome 419 

INDEX 423 


Chart  of  Saint  Paul's  First  and  Second  Journeys  .  Froniispiece 
Chart  of  Saint  Paul's  Third  Mission  Journey    ....     211 


SAINT    PAUL. 


CHAPTER  I. 

SAINT   PAUL'S   FIRST   VISIT   TO   CYPRUS. 

Three  years  have  elapsed  between  that  first  persecu- 
tion of  the  Church  and  the  date  at  which  we  again  take 
up  the  thread  of  our  narrative.^  During  this  period  no 
further  acts  of  violence  have  occurred  to  harass  the  faith- 
ful flock  of  Jerusalem,  for  in  the  year  42  Agrippa  quitted 
his  palace  on  Mount  Sion  never  to  re-enter  its  gates,  and 
the  Roman  Procurators  who  replaced  him  wielded  the 
supreme  authority  with  all  their  wonted  impartiality. 
"The  word  of  the  Lord,"  as  it  is  added  in  the  Acts, 
"  made  great  progress  and  was  spread  abroad  ever  more 
and  more  "  ;  ^  but  in  like  measure  the  Judaizing  ten- 
dencies were  waxing  hardier  and  bolder  within  the  con- 
fines of  the  Mother  Church.  The  College  of  the  Twelve, 
and  Peter  especially,  were  no  longer  there  to  recall  the 
memory  of  the  heavenly  vision  at  Joppa,  to  serve  as  a 
check  to  the  zealots  of  the  Law  ;  Barnabas  and  Saul  had 
gone  back  to  Antioch  ;  ^  James  alone  remained,  —  the 
very  one  who  from  temperament  and  antecedents  would 
be  most  strongly  inclined  to  favor  the  strictest  observ- 
ance of  the  Pharisaic  laws>  Neither  he  nor  his  fellow 
believers  were  unmindful  of  the  fact  that  they  had  been 

1  From  42  to  45  a.  d.,  according  to  the  system  of  chronology  adopted 
in  this  volume. 

2  Acts  xii.  24.  3  Acts  xii.  25. 

*  Hegesippus,  quoted  by  Eusebius,  Historia  Ecclesiastica,  lib.  ii.  cap. 
xciii. 

I 


2  SAINT  PAUL. 

commissioned  to  proclaim  the  Gospel  unto  the  whole 
world  ;  ^  but  to  many  among  them  it  seemed  quite  enough 
to  ask  of  them  that  they  should  stand  like  warders 
before  the  open  gates  of  the  New  City.  Thereafter,  (so 
they  held,)  it  belonged  to  them  by  right  of  the  primacy 
of  Israel,  taking  their  stand  upon  the  holy  mountain,  to 
await  the  coming  of  the  Gentile  hordes,  ready  and  eager, 
to  be  sure,  to  lay  upon  Pagan  shoulders  the  yoke  of  their 
Law,  thus  binding  them  by  the  new  fetters  of  faith  in  the 
risen  Christ  to  that  fundamental  dogma  of  Jewry, —  no 
salvation  without  circumcision.  ^ 

But  while  Jerusalem  was  thus  growing  narrower  in 
her  views  and  restricting  her  own  mission  to  the  world, 
Antioch,  on  the  other  hand,  was  looking  out  over  all  the 
countries  of  the  earth,  and  meditating  a  universal  con- 
quest. Nevertheless,  and  notwithstanding  their  burning 
zeal  to  carry  afar  the  glad  tidings,  the  heads  of  the  lat- 
ter community  still  held  the  most  enterprising  spirits 
back  and  awaited  the  heavenly  appointed  time  for 
preaching  salvation  beyond  the  boundaries  of  Judea  and 
Syria,  —  an  event  whereof  God  Himself  must  needs  give 
them  the  signal  and  thereby  consecrate  their  work. 
Saint  Luke  makes  us  acquainted  with  the  foremost  men 
among  these  pastors  of  the  people  :  they  were  Barnabas, 
Simeon,  surnamed  Niger,  an  African  Jew,  Lucius,  a  native 
of  Cyrene,  Manahen,  foster  brother  of  Herod  Antipas,  and 
Saul  of  Tarsus,^  whose  name  is  purposely  placed  last  in 
the  list,  since  he  still  held  but  a  secondary  position  in 
the  congregation.  His  learning,  for  which  he  had  won  a 
well-earned  renown,  the  striking  incidents  of  his  con- 
version, the  fire  of  his  eloquence,  all  had  won  him  a 
place  among  the  masters  of  Israel;  but  though  one  of 
their  number  he  continued  to  act  in  submission  to  the 
Elders  of  Antioch,  to  Barnabas,  whose  labors  he  shared, 

1  Matt.  xxvi.  13.  2  Acts  xv.  1. 

3  Acts  viii.  1.  The  titles  of  "  Doctors  "  and  "  Prophets  "  given  them  in 
the  Acts  would  indicate  that  these  pastors  possessed  the  gifts  essential 
to  the  government  of  the  Church,  —  the  gift  of  teaching  whereby  to 
guide  and  enlighten  their  flocks,  and  the  grace  of  Prophecy,  that  is  to  say 
the  art  of  persuading  and  moving  men's  hearts.     1  Cor.  xiv.  3, 


SAINT  PAUL'S  FIRST   VISIT  TO   CYPRUS.  3 

to  Simeon,  Lucius,  and  Manahen,  who  had  been  invested 
with  the  fulness  of  the  priestly  powers  at  the  hands  of 
Peter  himself,  in  order  to  insure  fecundity  to  the 
Churches  of  Syria.  Undoubtedly  this  state  of  subjec- 
tion weighed  heavily  on  him,  and  he  must  have  chafed 
under  many  an  irksome  restraint,  for,  since  those  days  of 
retreat  which  followed  hard  upon  his  conversion,  the 
Gospel  had  been  set  forth  to  him  by  Jesus  Himself,  and 
in  so  clear  a  light  that,  thereafter,  he  had  nothing  more 
to  learn  from  human  lips;^ — we  can  go  further  and 
declare  that,  concerning  many  points,  this  personal  rev- 
elation excelled  that  which  had  been  made  to  the  Church 
of  Jerusalem.  Accordingly,  during  the  eight  years  in 
which  Saul  remained  in  a  subordinate  position  to  the 
heads  of  those  Churches  which  he  was  really  building  up 
in  the  Faith,  the  inferior  was  far  more  enlightened  than 
those  set  above  him  ;  especially  was  he  well  aware  that 
the  Apostleship  of  the  Pagan  world  had  been  allotted  to 
him.2  Nevertheless  he  still  kept  in  the  background, 
scrupulous  not  to  anticipate  the  hour  appointed  by 
God. 

The  signal  he  was  waiting  for  came  finally  from  the 
pastors  of  Antioch.  Unquestionably  Saul  had  many  a 
time  conversed  with  them  concerning  his  views  as  to 
what  the  future  held  in  store  for  him,  and  of  God's  grace 
which  was  impelling  him  towards  the  Gentiles  ;  but 
neither  the  Prophets  nor  Doctors  had  come  to  any  con- 
clusion; though  far  readier  to  embrace  the  liberties  of 
the  New  Faith  than  were  their  brethren  of  Jerusalem, 
they  yet  could  not  fail  to  experience  some  hesitation 
about  breaking  down  all  barriers  between  the  Jew  and 
the  Gentile.  That  the  Gospel  should  be  preached  through- 
out Syria  would  be  willingly  agreed  to  by  any  one  of 
them,^  since  Israel  regarded  this  region  as  part  of  the  Holy 
Land  ;  even  Antioch,  Pagan  though  it  was,  occupied  ground 

1  Gali.  11,  12. 

2  Gal.  ii.  7,  8. 

3  Talmud  of  Jerusalem,  Shebiit,  vi.  2.  Talmud  of  Babylon,  Gittin,  8,  a. 
Targum  of  Jerusalem  on  the  Pentateuch,  Num.  xxxiv.  8. 


4  SAINT  PAUL. 

that  still  guarded  the  approaches  of  Mount  Libanus.^  Yet 
Saul  was  now  talking  of  betaking  himself  even  beyond 
these  outer  limits,  into  the  unhallowed  world  which, 
beginning  at  the  Amanus,  comprised  all  the  shores  and 
islands  of  the  mighty  sea.  Did  it  behoove  them  to 
authorize  his  propositions,  and  ought  they  to  suppose 
that  such  action  would  meet  with  the  approval  of  the 
Twelve  ?  Such  accounts  as  they  had  had  of  the  public 
ministry  of  the  Apostles  since  the  separation  had  been 
too  few  and  incomplete  to  shed  any  light  on  this  ques- 
tion ;  all  that  they  had  heard  thus  far  was  that  the 
Gospel  was  being  borne  abroad  by  the  Twelve  to  the 
children  of  Israel  dispersed  throughout  the  world.  It  is 
true  that  news  had  reached  them  that  Peter,  moving 
under  a  resolution  as  adventurous  as  it  was  unforeseen, 
had  arrived  in  Eome  and  was  preaching  there  ;  but,  at 
such  a  distance,  how  were  they  to  discover  to  what  com- 
munities the  Chief  of  the  Apostles  confined  his  teaching  ? 
The  pastors  of  Antioch,  consequently,  lingered  in  this 
state  of  indecision,  until  the  occurrence  of  a  solemnity 
described  by  Saint  Luke  as  "a  season  of  fasting  and 
divine  service  "  ;  ^  without  doubt  this  was  the  fast  pre- 
ceding the  Feast  of  the  Tabernacles,  which  was  the  only 
one  prescribed  by  the  Law.^  The  faithful  flock  were 
acquitting  themselves  of  this  Mosaical  act  of  expiation, 
and  at  the  same  time,  according  to  their  custom,  par- 
ticipating in  the  ritual  of  the  Breaking  of  Bread,  when, 
in  the  midst  of  the  Holy  Mysteries,  they  heard  these 
words  of  the  Holy  Ghost  : 

"  Set  apart  Saul  and  Barnabas  unto  Me,  for  the  work 
whereto  I  have  called  them."  * 

Indetermined  as  the  duties  of  the  Hierarchy  seem  to 
have  been,  even  then,  the  priesthood  already  constituted 
a  separate  class  among  the  members  of  the  Church,  and 
to  it  belonged  by  right  the  administration  of  the  'Sacra- 

1  The  mountains  of  Ansarieh,  rising  to  the  south  of  Antioch,  extend 
as  far  as  the  Libanus,  with  which  they  seem  to  form  a  single  chain. 

2  Acts  xiii.  2. 

3  Lev.  xvi.  29-31  ;  xxiii.  26-32.    Num.  xxix.  7. 
*  Acts  xiii.  2. 


SAINT  PAUL'S  FIRST   VISIT  TO   CYPRUS.  5 

ments.  Thus  it  was  in  the  rank  of  these  privileged  men 
that  they  were  bidden  by  the  Spirit  to  number  Saul  and 
Barnabas.  This  command  was  complied  with  without 
delay.  The  pastors,  after  renewing  the  fast  and  having 
prayed  with  the  whole  Church,  laid  their  hands  upon  the 
newly  elected  ^  and  confided  them  to  the  promptings  of 
God's  Holy  Spirit.^ 

But  the  Lord  had  not  designated  the  lands  to  be  evan- 
gelized by  the  new  Apostles.  Probably  there  were  some 
differences  of  opinion  among  the  leaders,  while  Saul's 
thoughts  naturally  turned  at  once  toward  Asia  Minor, 
which  lay  so  close  to  Tarsus  ;  indeed,  we  shall  see  him 
directing  his  steps  thither,  so  soon  as  he  takes  in  hand 
the  guidance  of  the  undertaking.  As  for  Barnabas,  his 
hopes  were  centred  in  Cyprus,  his  native  land,  —  Cyprus, 
which  he  could  descry  from  these  Syrian  shores,  lying 
along  the  horizon  in  the  midst  of  the  great  waters,  — 
Cyprus,  the  nearest  of  the  isles  of  Cethim,^  that  strong- 
hold and  centre  of  Heathendom  to  the  minds  of  all 
Israelites.  Saul  was  too  keen-witted  to  hope  for  any 
great  harvest  from  such  an  unfavorable  soil  ;  however, 
he  could  not  but  respect  the  decisions  of  his  comrade, 
for  Barnabas,  as  a  Christian  from  the  very  first,*  and  one 
who  had  always  enjoyed  the  intimacy  of  the  Twelve, 
still  continued  to  be  in  Antioch  what  he  had  been  at 
Jerusalem,  —  to  all  appearances,  the  guardian  and  tutor 
of  the  converted  Scribe. 

His  superior  authority  was  further  enhanced  by  the 
influence  of  John  Mark,  whom  the  two  Apostles  had 
brought  back  with  them  from  the  Holy  City,  and  now 
destined  to  become  one  of  their  companions,  —  their 
"  helper  and  minister."  ^    This  disciple,  a  cousin  of  Barna- 

1  Acts  xiii.  3. 

2  Acts  xiv.  25. 

3  In  Genesis  (x.  4)  the  name  is  given  to  one  of  the  peoples  sprung 
from  Javan,  son  of  Japhet.  "  Cethim,"  says  Josephus,  "  took  possession 
of  the  island  of  Cethima,  now  called  Cyprus  ;  hence  all  the  islands  ^nd 
maritime  coasts  are  called  Cethim  by  the  Hebrews."  {Antiquitates 
Jndaicœ,  i,  vi.  1.) 

^  Acts  iv.  36.  5  Acts  xiii.  5. 


6  SAINT  PAUL. 

bas  ^  by  the  way,  was  the  son  of  Mary,  a  Jewess  of  note, 
whose  residence  had  become  one  of  the  Christian  sanctu- 
aries of  Jerusalem. 2  One  is  even  tempted  to  fancy,  when 
recalling  how  Peter  made  his  way  thither  immediately 
after  his  deliverance  from  prison,  that  here  were  held, 
usually  at  least,  the  meetings  of  the  leaders  of  the  Mother 
Church.  Coming  from  such  surroundings  John  Mark 
would  naturally  be  impregnated  with  Jewish  ideas  ;  con- 
sequently, to  his  thinking,  the  only  ways  of  approach  to 
the  Gentile  world  lay  along  the  lines  already  marked 
out  by  his  Israelitish  brethren,  —  the  highways  of  the 
Mediterranean,  busy  with  the  commerce  of  numberless 
coasting  barks  which  united  the  Jewish  communities  of 
every  seaport  by  the  ties  of  trade,  thus  offering  the  mis- 
sionaries every  facility  for  finding  free  passage  with  a  safe 
harbor  at  the  journey's  end.  To  renounce  such  mani- 
fest advantages  and  expose  themselves  to  the  dangers  of 
untried  routes,  —  such  an  adventurous  scheme  would  be 
even  more  repugnant  to  John  Mark  than  to  Barnabas  ; 
and  so  we  shall  soon  see  him  breaking  with  his  compan- 
ions rather  than  take  part  in  Saul's  brave  enterprise.^ 
But,  as  yet,  the  moment  for  manifesting  their  varying 
views  had  not  come  :  by  common  consent  it  was  agreed 
that  they  should  first  bear  the  message  of  Salvation  to 
Cyprus. 

According  to  this  plan  the  Apostles  had  first  to  direct 
their  steps  toward  Seleucia,  the  harbor  of  Antioch.  A  fine 
high-road,  of  some  six  leagues  in  length,  connected  the 
two  cities.  Lying  along  the  right  bank  of  the  Orontes, 
and  at  a  little  distance  from  its  winding  stream,  the  road 
first  sweeps  about  the  base  of  the  Pierian  hills,  then  turns 
in  a  northeasterly  direction  toward  this  maritime  city. 
The  three  missionaries  were  quitting  Antioch  in  the 
humble  garb  which  Jesus  had  bade  his  Apostles  wear,  — 
on  foot,  "  with  neither  bag,  nor  bread,  nor  money  in  their 

1  Col.  iv.  10. 

2  Acts  xii.  12.  For  further  notice  of  this  disciple,  whom  I  believe  to  be 
the  same  personage  as  Mark  Evangelist,  see  Saint  Peter  and  the  First 
Yeais  of  Christiati.it I/,  chap.  x.  p.  180. 

3  Acts  xiii.  13. 


SAINT  PAUL'S  FIRST   VISIT  TO   CYPRUS.  7 

purse  "  ;  ^  they  were  flitting  forth  like  the  birds  of  the  air, 
abandoning  themselves  to  the  care  of  Our  Father  who  is 
in  Heaven.'^  This  first  stage  in  the  many  long  journey- 
ings  to  come  was  one  full  of  charming  sights  and  sounds  : 
over  the  face  of  the  cliffs,  purple-dyed  in  sunshine  or  in 
shadow,  trails  the  fragrant  greenery  of  massy  shrubs, 
laurel  roses,  glossy  myrtles,  with  glowing  arbutus  shining 
out  from  among  the  scrub-oaks  and  sycamores;  count- 
less noisy  brooks,  tumbling  down  the  mountain  steeps, 
traverse  the  road  beneath  their  feet,  and  in  their  course 
make  the  field  between  them  and  the  Orontes  glow  like 
emerald  ;  while,  over  across  the  river,  dark  wooded  hills 
encircle  the  Vale  of  Daphne,  and  screen  it  from  the 
traveller's  view. 

They  pushed  forward  cheerfully,  certain  both  of  a  warm 
welcome  from  their  brethren  living  at  the  great  seaport, 
and,  better  still,  opportunities  to  find  passage  to  Cyprus 
through  their  aid. 

Indeed,  Seleucia  boasted  of  the  busiest  harbor  in  all 
Syria  ;  from  the  outlying  coasts,  as  well  as  from  the 
farthest  shores  of  the  Mediterranean,  merchants  flocked 
thither  to  traffic  and  barter  for  the  rich  stores  which  the 
caravans  of  the  East  were  daily  pouring  into  Antioch. 
All  trade,  save  such  as  Tarsus  attracted  to  her  gates,  took 
this  route  to  the  sea.  The  Seleucides,  rightly  estimating 
the  importance  of  such  an  emporium,  had  taken  care  to 
enrich  it  with  a  roadstead  of  generous  and  mighty  propor- 
tions. As  a  bulwark  against  the  heavy  surge,  which  in 
almost  all  weathers  breaks  fiercely  upon  this  beach,  huge 
moles  had  been  erected  to  meet  the  assaults  of  the  high 
seas,  encircling,  as  at  Csesarea,  a  wide  stretch  of  still 
waters.  The  narrow  channel  to  this  haven  opened  to- 
ward the  north,  while  to  the  west  and  south  new  dikes 
broke  the  force  of  wave  and  wind.^ 

1  Mark  vi.  8.  2  ]y[att.  vi.  26. 

^  Polybius,  V.  59.  So  solidly  built  were  these  works  that  the  founda- 
tions remain  almost  intact  to  this  day  :  at  a  slight  expense  Seleucia  might 
be  made  the  terminal  for  a  system  of  railways  which  should  follow  the 
routes  marked  out  by  the  caravans  of  old,  to  the  Euphrates,  Persia,  and 
India. 


8  SAINT  PAUL. 

The  three  fellow  travellers  found  it  an  easy  matter  to 
procure  passage  on  one  of  the  barks  about  to  weigh 
anchor  and  set  sail.  Soon  the  town,  clinging  to  the  steep 
surrounding  cliffs,  the  bay  of  the  Orontes,  and  finally  the 
lofty  peaks  of  Cassius  faded  from  their  sight.  Some  time 
later,  Barnabas  and  Mark  could  distinguish  toward  the 
west  the  familiar  shores  of  their  native  island,  Cyprus. 
Salamis,  the  port  for  which  the  seamen  were  making,  was 
the  most  important  city  on  the  eastern  coast.  The  fertile 
sweep  of  plain  which  encompassed  it,  with  the  prosper- 
ous state  of  its  commercial  interests,  had  attracted  thither 
so  many  Jews  that  the  town  already  contained  a  goodly 
number  of  synagogues.  The  Apostles  reaped  a  rich  har- 
vest from  the  divine  seed  they  now  sowed  in  soil  already 
prepared  for  their  labors  ;  indeed,  the  Israelites  of  Cyprus, 
first  evangelized  by  certain  of  their  fellow  countrymen 
who  had  fled  from  Jerusalem  during  the  persecution,  had 
given  a  favorable  hearing  to  the  Good  News,^  —  nay,  it 
was  among  some  of  their  number  that  the  first  idea  of 
attempting  to  preach  the  Gospel  not  only  to  sons  of  Israel, 
but  even  to  the  Pagans  of  Antioch,  had  originated.^ 

Barnabas,  who  was  so  intimately  connected,  by  ties  of 
kinship  and  a  common  origin,  with  the  Jews  of  the  island,^ 
took  the  leading  part  in  this  ministry  and  became  the 
Apostle  of  Cyprus,  whither  he  returned  later  on,  after 
his  separation  from  Saul.  The  latter,  on  the  contrary, 
remained  all  his  life  a  stranger  in  the  eyes  of  this  Church  ; 
he  never  again  visited  it,  although  at  different  times  his 
journeys  carried  him  along  the  island  coasts  ;  no  mention 
of  it  is  to  be  found  in  his  Letters, — evidently  Saul  never 
regarded  this  as  the  proper  field  for  his  Apostolate. 

None  the  less  he  did  not  fail  to  use  all  the  weapons  of 
his  warfare  in  this  first  encounter,  the  more  ardent  in  the 
cause  because,  of  all  the  hosts  of  Paganism,  none  had 
greater  power  to  corrupt  and  harden  men's  hearts  than 
the  worship  which  held  sway  in  Cyprus.     Venus  was  the 

1  Acts  iv.  36  ;  xi.  19;  xxi.  16. 

2  Acts  xi.  20.     See  Saint  Peter,  chap.  ix.  p.  165. 

3  Acts  iv.  36. 


SAINT  PAUL'S  FIRST   VISIT  TO   CYPRUS.  9 

goddess  of  this  isle,  not  the  Grecian  Venus,  an  ideal  of 
womanly  grace  and  loveliness,  but  that  other  brutal  deity 
of  the  Orientals.  Conjured  up  by  the  imagination  of 
the  race  of  Cham  in  order  to  deify  and  consecrate  the 
grossest  of  pleasures,  this  divinity  had  come  to  be  adored 
under  the  name  of  Derceto  by  the  Chanaanites  of  Asca- 
lon  arid  by  the  Phœnicians  as  Astarte  ;  but  everywhere 
the  honors  paid  to  her  were  the  same.  Syrians,  Moab- 
ites,  Philistines,  all  who  abandoned  themselves  to  these 
shameless  rites,  had  ever  been  an  unfailing  source  of 
enticement  and  ruin  for  Israel.  The  Phœnicians  brought 
the  infection  with  them  to  every  port  touched  by  their 
merchant  fleets  ;  but  Cyprus,  being  under  their  domina- 
tion and  at  an  early  date  peopled  by  them,  had  fallen  an 
easy  prey  to  the  scourge.  The  mild  climate  of  the  island 
was  most  favorable  to  its  rapid  spread  :  in  fertility  the 
little  isle  was  another  Egypt,^  with  none  of  the  monotony 
of  Egypt  in  its  ancient  splendor,  but  a  land  of  bosky  groves 
and  pleasant  valleys,^  famous  for  its  mountains  with  their 
gentle  slopes,  bold  peaks,  and  refreshing  breezes,  and  for 
its  beaches  bathed  by  the  blue  waves.  When  the  Greeks, 
during  their  occupancy  of  the  island,  came  in  contact  with 
the  coarse  myths  of  the  Semites,  they  set  their  fancy  to 
work  at  purifying  them.  Thus  arose  the  tale  that  a 
fecund  drop  of  blood  falling  from  Uranus  (the  sky)  into 
the  Cyprian  sea  had  mightily  stirred  its  waters,  whereupon 
from  the  pearly  foam  of  the  waves  sprang  forth  the  white 
Aphrodite.^     Doves   and   dolphins   drew  her  iridescent 

1  ^lianus,  De  Natura  Animalium,  v.  56. 

2  Cyprus  was  covered  with  forests  of  cedar  and  cypress  from  the  earli- 
est days  ;  boxwood  abounded  and  was  used  by  the  Tyriaus  as  a  sheathing 
for  the  ivory  of  which  the  decks  of  their  ships  were  constructed  (Ezek. 
xxvii.  6).  Cypress,  which  owes  its  name  to  this  island,  has  now  almost  dis- 
appeared, owing  to  the  rapacity  of  builders,  who  have  always  prized  it  on 
account  of  its  durability  and  agreeable  odor.  Since  England  assumed  the 
reins  of  government  in  Cyprus,  all  clearing  away  of  the  woodlands  has 
been  prohibited  ;  this  wise  policy  will  shorten  the  long  droughts  which  are 
the  scourge  of  the  island.  The  grape  culture  is  in  like  manner  being 
looked  to,  and  very  rightly,  for  the  entire  island,  up  to  an  altitude  of  1,200 
meters,  might  easily  be  transformed  into  a  huge  vineyard  of  plentiful 
yield  and  with  many  excellent  qualities. 

^  Hesiod,  Theogonia,  188  et  seq.     Homer,  Hymn.  V.  Eîs  'A(ppoSiTr,v. 


10  SAINT  PAUL. 

cradle  of  pearl  toward  the  nearest  shores  where  temples 
were  afterwards  built  along  the  mountains,  at  Idalia, 
Amathontes,^  and  Paphos.  In  the  last  named  sanctuary 
no  blood  of  victims  was  ever  shed  ;  but  by  day  and  night, 
upon  its  hundred  altars,  offerings  were  made  of  flowers 
and  of  incense.^ 

This  was  the  picture  the  Greeks  had  painted  of  Cypris, 
—  imperishable  Beauty,  the  object  of  pure  love,  that 
celestial  Venus  whom  Plato  worshipped.^  The  veritable 
goddess  of  Cyprus,  however,  was  of  quite  another  sort  ; 
at  Paphos  she  flaunted  her  cynical  shamelessness  under 
the  form  of  a  stone  hewn  to  symbolize  the  powers  of  gen- 
eration.* It  was  to  do  her  honor  that  the  worshippers 
performed  beneath  the  neighboring  shades  her  unspeak- 
able sacrifices.^ 

The  attachment  shown  by  the  Cypriots  for  this  im- 
moral cult  is  the  best  index  to  the  character  of  their 
religious  tendencies  ;  sensuality  and  the  passion  for  gain 
penetrated  their  souls  to  the  very  depths,  leaving  no  room 
for  those  sentiments  of  remorse  and  disgust  which  every- 
where else  were  potent  factors  in  the  conversion  of  the 
Heathens  to  Mosaism.  Thus,  between  those  depraved 
traders,  veritable  sons  of  Cham,  and  the  Israelites,  their 
rivals  in  the  commercial  interests  of  the  island,  the  line 
of  demarcation  was  as  sharply  defined  as  possible,  and 
their  hatred  of  each  other  correspondingly  fierce  and  un- 
relenting ;  indeed,  only  half  a  century  later,  the  Jews, 
falling  upon  the  Pagan  population  among  whom  they 

1  Dali  marks  the  site  of  the  Idalian  thickets  which  drank  the  blood  of 
Adonis.  At  Amathontes,  Venus  Astartë  was  worshipped,  and  in  the  out- 
lying country  Melkart  (the  Tyrian  Hercules). 

2  Ipsa  Paphum  subUmis  abit  aedesque  revisit 
Lgeta  suas,  ubi  templum  illi,  centumque  Sabaeo 
Thure  calent  arae,  sertisque  recentibus  halant. 

Vergil,  -^neid,  I.  415  et  seq. 

^  Plato,  Symposion,  viii.  ix.  xxviii.  xxix. 

*  "  Simulacrum  deae,  non  effigie  humana,  continuus  orbis  latiore  initio 
tenuem  in  ambitum,  metae  modo,  exsurgens."  Tacitus,  Historiée.,  ii.  3. 
Th  Se  6.ya\iJ.a  ovk  hv  eiKaffais  6,Wcp  Tcp  fj  irvpafiiSi  Aeu/cp,  7]  Sh  v\7}  àyvoeîrai. 
Maximus  of  Tyre,  38. 

5  Preller,  Griechische  Mythologie,  ii.  8,  Aphrodite. 


SAINT  PAUL'S  FIRST   VISIT  TO   CYPRUS.  11 

lived,  slaughtered  some  two  hundred  and  forty  thousand 
souls. ^  The  animosity  revealed  by  this  horrible  massacre 
makes  it  wellnigh  impossible  for  us  to  suppose  that  in 
Cyprus,  as  elsewhere,  were  to  be  found  large  numbers  of 
proselytes,  who,  by  acting  as  mediums  between  the  Ghetto 
and  the  Gentiles  of  each  city,  usually  prevented  these 
collisions  between  the  two  parties,  or  at  least  broke  the 
shock  of  inevitable  encounters.  Finding  access  to  Pagan 
society  so  difficult,  Barnabas  and  Saul  were  forced  "to 
announce  the  word  of  God  in  the  synagogues  of  the 
Jews."  2  In  this  Mark  was  their  helper,^  completing  the 
instruction  among  the  neophytes  in  the  Faith,  and  bap- 
tizing the  sons  of  Israel  gained  over  to  the  cause  of  Christ 
by  the  preaching  of  the  Apostles.* 

From  Salamis  the  three  missionaries  turned  their  steps 
toward  Paphos.  The  road  they  took  crosses  the  island 
from  east  to  west.^  Beside  the  two  principal  cities  just 
mentioned,  fifteen  other  towns  were  open  to  them,^  and 
it  would  seem  that  each  must  have  contained  its  Jewish 
community,  for  Herod  the  Great,  by  granting  leases  of 
the  copper  mines  in  these  parts,"^  had  been  the  means  of 
attracting  thither  a  throng  of  his  fellow  countrymen.^ 
The  Apostles  were  carrying  the  Gospel  to  these  far  off 
sons  of  Israel,  when  a  message  from  the  Governor  sum- 
moned them  to  Paphos. 

This  centre  of  the  island's  political  and  religious  life 
was  the  most  considerable  of  all  the  colonies  founded  by 
the  Phoenicians  along  the  southern  shore.  Seeking  out, 
as  always,  the  highest  places  for  the  purposes  of  their 
ritual,  the  Semites  had  erected  their  temple  of  Aphrodite 
on  a  hill  not  far  from  the  sea  ;  thus  the  primitive  town 
grew  up  about  this  sanctuary,  and   for  long  years  was 

1  Dio  Cassius,  Ixviii.  32.  Eusebius,  Historia  Ecclesiastical  iv.  2. 
Orosius,  vii.  12. 

2  Acts  xiii.  5.  3  i^id. 
*  1  Cor.  i.  14-17. 

^  This  road  is  marked  out  on  Peutinger's  Table. 
6  Pliny,  Historia  Naturalis,  v.  35. 

'_  Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud.,  xvi.  iv.  ,5.  It  was  from  Cyprus  that  this  metal 
got  its  name  in  the  Greek  and  Latin  tongues  :  Kvirpos,  Ci/pnim. 

8  Philo,  Legat.,  p.  36.     Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud.,  xiii.  x.  4;  xvii.  xii.  2. 


12  SAINT  PAUL. 

confined  in  its  area  to  these  heights,  whence  the  inhab- 
itants had  less  to  fear  from  piratical  incursions.  But  so 
soon  as  Eome  swept  the  Mediterranean  of  those  pests, 
the  populace  realized  the  attractiveness  of  the  sea-shores, 
and  a  new  city,  Nea  Paphos,^  soon  grew  up  about  three 
hours'  journey  from  the  citadel  consecrated  to  Venus. 
From  this  lower  town  there  went  forth,  several  times  a 
year,  licentious  processions,  wending  their  way  to  the 
groves  of  old  Paphos.  Finally,  the  increasing  throngs  of 
pilgrims,  together  with  its  ever  widening  commercial  rela- 
tions, made  this  seaport  such  an  important  station  that 
the  Eoman  governors  fixed  their  residence  here. 

At  the  time  of  which  we  are  speaking,  Cyprus,  though 
originally  an  Imperial  Province,  had  passed  into  the  hands 
of  the  Senate,^  and  its  affairs  were  now  administered 
by  a  Proconsul,  —  a  magistrate  invested  with  power 
for  a  year's  term.^  A  Eoman  of  noble  lineage,  Sergius 
Paulus  by  name,  was  now  performing  the  duties  of  this 
office.  He  was  a  man  of  good  parts,  says  Saint  Luke, 
and,  very  likely,  the  personage  of  that  same  name  men- 

1  The  modern  Baffo.  Nea  Paphos,  though  partially  destroyed  shortly 
before  this  by  an  earthquake,  had  been  rebuilt  by  Augustus,  who  gave 
it  the  title  of  the  Augustan  City.  Dio  Cassius,  liv.  23.  Boeckh,  Corp. 
Inscript.,  No.  2629. 

2  When  Augustus  (in  the  year  27  b.c.)  divided  the  provinces  between 
himself  and  the  Senate,  Cyprus  was  made  one  of  the  Imperial  Provinces 
(Dio  Cassius,  liii.  12  ;  Strabo,  xiv.  vi.  6).  Later  on,  finding  that  an  armed 
body  was  not  required  in  this  province,  he  restored  it  to  the  Senate,  and 
received  Dalmatia  in  exchange  for  it  (Dio  Cassius,  liv.  4).  This  fact, 
mentioned  by  Dio  Cassius,  is  confirmed  by  the  medals  and  inscriptions 
discovered  at  Curium  and  Cittium.  None  of  them,  it  is  true,  mentions  the 
name  of  Sergius  Paulus,  but  the  title  of  Proconsul  is  given  to  Cominius 
Proclus,  Julius  Cordus,  and  L.  Aunus  Bassus,  who  either  preceded  or 
immediately  followed  him.  Eckhel,  iii.  84.  Akerman,  Numism.  Illustr., 
pp.  39,  42.  Boeckh,  Corpus  Inscript.,  2631,  2632.  There  is  still  some 
question  whether  the  Proconsul  Paulus  referred  to  in  an  inscription  at 
Soli  is  the  same  personage  as  the  Sergius  Paulus  of  the  Acts  (Cesnola, 
Cyprus,  p.  495). 

3  At  first  the  name  of  Proconsul  was  given  to  the  retired  consuls,  who, 
after  having  fulfilled  the  duties  of  their  office,  were  given  the  command  of 
an  army  or  province.  Under  Augustus  this  title  was  granted  indiscrimi- 
nately to  all  Governors  of  Senatorial  Provinces,  whether  or  not  they  had 
ever  held  ofiice  as  Consuls.  The  term  of  office  of  these  magistrates  was 
one  year  (Dio,  liii.  13). 


SAINT  PAUL'S  FIRST   VISIT  TO   CYPRUS.  13 

tioned  by  Pliny.^  In  the  long  hours  of  leisure  left  him 
here  at  his  distant  post,  Sergius  must  have  realized  more 
keenly  than  at  Eome  what  a  void  the  vanished  faith 
of  his  fathers  had  left  in  his  soul,  and  felt  the  human 
yearning  to  find  out  some  new  way  of  access  to  the 
supernatural  world.  Now  it  would  certainly  seem  that 
no  land  lay  nearer  to  the  regions  of  the  unseen  than 
the  Orient.  Astrologers,  soothsayers,  interpreters  of 
dreams,  were  here  in  swarms,  each  vying  with  the 
other  in  loud  promises  to  initiate  their  adepts  in  the 
deepest  mysteries  of  life.  And  especially  here  at  Cyprus 
such  impostures  were  of  a  stamp  fitted  to  lead  astray 
men  of  more  than  usual  intelligence,  for  here  the  magi- 
cians were  no  vulgar  charlatans.  Their  efforts  to  pre- 
serve and  adapt  to  their  arts  the  didactic  forms  then 
in  use  among  the  Magi  of  Persia  had  resulted  in  the 
foundation  of  two  schools,  —  "  the  more  modern  is  the 
Cypriot,"  says  Pliny,^  —  by  which  he  doubtless  means  us 
to  understand  that  its  followers  resorted  to  the  witch- 
craft practised  by  the  Phoenicians  in  all  their  colonies, 
unclean  and  bloody  deeds  wherein  we  recognize  the 
gloomy  genius  of  Chanaan.  The  other  and  the  elder 
school,  which  was  altogether  Jewish  in  its  tenets  and 
tendencies,  pretended  to  be  able  to  trace  its  origin  to  the 
magicians  of  Egypt  who  once  strove  against  Moses, — 
nay,  oftentimes  to  the  great  Prophet  himself.  However 
large  a  part  imposture  may  have  played  in  this  school, 
the  Mosaical  doctrines  at  least  were  maintained  in  all 
their  authority,  thereby  preserving  a  loftiness  of  tone  in 
the  language  and  sentiments  of  these  Israelitish  sooth- 
sayers not  to  be  found  among  the  enchanters  of  Heathen- 
dom.   Such  teachings,  cleverly  combined  with  marvellous 

1  Pliny,  Historia  Naturalis,  lib.  i.,  Elenchos  (list  of  the  authors  of  books 
ii  and  xviii.).  For  the  rest,  it  would  seem  that  scientific  pursuits  had 
become  a  tradition  in  this  noble  family;  for,  a  century  later,  Galieuus 
(t.  ii.  p.  218,  Kiihn's  edition)  is  loud  in  the  praises  of  a  philosopher  named 
Sergius  Paulus,  who  was  as  renowned  for  his  experimental  researches  as 
for  his  learned  theories. 

2  "  Est  et  alia  factio  a  Mose  et  Jamne  et  Jotape  Judseis  pendens,  sed 
multis  millibus  post  Zeroastrem.  Tanto  recentior  est  Cypria."  Pliny, 
Historia  Naturalis,  xxx.  ii.  6. 


14  SAINT  PAUL. 

jugglery,  had  so  far  captivated  Sergius's  mind  that  he  was 
fain  to  keep  near  his  person  the  teacher  who  had  been 
the  means  of  initiating  him  in  these  profound  mysteries. 
This  man  was  a  Jew  called  Bar-Jesus,  but  more  com- 
monly known  by  the  pretentious  name  he  had  affected, — 
Elymas  (Elim),  which  means  "  The  Sage."  ^  The  position 
he  occupied  in  the  Governor's  suite  was  not  different  from 
that  which  many  patricians  of  the  period  gave  not  only 
to  the  masters  of  occultism  who  unveiled  for  them  coming 
events,  but  to  the  philosophers  as  well  who  enlightened 
and  guided  them  in  matters  of  conscience.  A  seat  at 
their  table,  lodging,  and  liberal  largesses  were  the  wages 
of  these  men,  who,  from  their  intimate  relationship  with 
the  family,  were  often  able  to  exercise  a  powerful  influ- 
ence over  their  hosts. 

The  high  favor  enjoyed  by  Bar- Jesus  was  at  its  height, 
when  rumor  reported  in  Paphos  that  three  Jews,  lately 
landed  in  the  island,  were  arousing  great  excitement  in 
the  synagogues  by  their  preaching.  The  same  eager 
curiositv  which  had  made  Sergius  one  of  the  magician's 
disciples  now  made  him  long  to  hear  the  new-comers. 
He  therefore  summoned  them  to  his  court,  at  the  same 
time  expressing  his  desire  to  hear  the  Word  of  the  Lord. 
Bar-Jesus  was  in  great  alarm  at  this  move  ;  foreseeing 
that  it  would  work  his  own  ruin,  he  set  to  work  at  once 
trying  to  prejudice  the  Proconsul's  mind  against  the  Faith. 
The  text  of  the  Acts  would  lead  us  to  infer  that  a  public 
controversy  was  arranged,  wherein  the  false  Prophet  did 
his  best  to  overwhelm  the  Apostles,  and  show  that  their 
teaching  was  sheer  folly.  Here  it  was  no  longer  a  ques- 
tion to  be  discussed  in  the  synagogues  ;  the  impostor's 
speech  was  addressed  to  the  Gentiles  of  the  country,  and 
he  was  attacking  the  Christ  in  the  territory  —  the  very 
residence  indeed  —  of  a  Pagan  truth-seeker.  This  was 
Saul's  proper  domain.     Instantly  he  took  the  initiative, 

1  The  word  Magi,  which  Saint  Luke  uses  to  translate  Elymas,  is 
taken  from  the  Persian  language.  The  Hebrews  translated  it  by  Hakam, 
"Wise  man"  (Jer.  1.  35  ;  Is.  xliv.  25  ;  Dan.  ii.  12,  18,  24,  27  ;  Porphyrion, 
De  Ahst.,  4).  In  the  Arabian  tongue  tlie  root  a/îm  has  the  same  meaning, 
and  the  plural  oulema  is  used  to  designate  the  Doctors  of  the  Law. 


SAINT  PAUL'S  FIRST   VISIT  TO   CYPRUS.  15 

before  his  two  comrades  could  speak,  and  stood  before 
them  all,  facing  Bar-Jesus.  Fixing  him  with  that  glance  ^ 
which  his  malady  made  more  striking,  but  now  burning 
with  the  fire  of  God's  Spirit,  his  words  rang  out  :  — • 

"  O  man,  full  of  all  guile  and  all  deceitfulness,  child 
of  the  devil,  foe  of  all  righteousness,  wilt  thou  never 
cease  perverting  the  straight  ways  of  the  Lord  ?  And 
now,  behold,  the  hand  of  the  Lord  is  upon  thee,  and  thou 
shalt  be  blind,  nor  shalt  thou  see  the  sun  for  a  time."  ^ 

"  Forthwith  there  fell  a  mist  and  a  darkness  upon  Ely- 
mas,  and,  turning  from  side  to  side,  he  groped  for  some 
one  to  lead  him  by  the  hand.  At  the  sight  of  what  had 
happened,  the  Proconsul  believed,  seized  with  admiration 
at  the  teachings  of  the  Lord."  ^ 

This  first  deed  in  the  mission-work  of  Saint  Paul  is 
typical  of  his  vigorous  and  rugged  Jewish  nature.  Like 
John  Baptist  and  Elias,  like  every  true  son  of  the  Orient, 
he  launches  anathemas  at  the  enemies  of  his  Faith, 
blinding  and  overthrowing  whatever  resists  him.  Earely 
in  the  course  of  his  inspired  Letters  shall  we  come  across 
a  trait  of  his  character  which  casts  a  clearer  light  on 
that  ardent  nature.  Though  ever  under  the  sway  of  the 
Grace  that  had  mastered  him,  the  dread-inspiring  Scribe 
who  had  once  been  smitten  down  by  Heaven  was  not 
dead  in  him,  nay,  was  always  ready  to  spring  to  life: 
after  all,  it  was  the  same  soul  still,  the  same  fiery  speech, 
the  same  impetuousness  in  word  and  act.  He  had  held 
himself  in  check  ever  since  the  departure  from  Antioch, 
and  had  merely  accompanied  Barnabas  from  one  syna- 
gogue to  another  while  here  in  Cyprus,  but  this  was  only 
from  a  conviction  that  God  had  not  destined  him  for 
these  audiences.  But  at  Paphos  the  Holy  Ghost  im- 
pressed him  with  a  sense  of  his  true  vocation,  and  so 
vividly  withal,  that  on  the  instant,  with  characteristic 
abandonment  of  himself  to  the  promptings  of  Grace, 
he  took  in  hand  the  guidance  of  the  band,  and  bade  his 
fellow  missionaries  turn  their  eyes  toward  the  neighbor- 
ing coasts  of  Pamphylia.     Hither  they  must  now  pro- 

1  'Areulaas.     Acts  xiii.  9.         ^  ^^ts  xiii.  10,  11.          ^  Acts  xiii.  12. 


16  SAINT  PAUL. 

ceed,  and  there  seek  out,  not  merely  other  children  of 
Israel,  but  Pagans  as  well,  who  were  now  ready  and 
waiting  to  receive  the  Gospel  message. 

Saint  Luke  hints  at  this  change  of  leadership  by  noting 
the  fact  that  from  that  day  Saul  dropped  his  Hebrew 
name,  thereafter  calling  himself  and  becoming  generally 
known  as  Paul,^  but  the  chronicler  is  silent  as  to  the 
opposition  which  the  Apostle  had  to  surmount.  On 
Mark's  part,  the  resistance  was  stubborn  and  prolonged, 
to  judge  from  the  final  rupture  which  was  its  sequel. 
For  this  the  reasons  are  easily  conjectured  ;  here  it  was 
no  longer,  as  at  Antioch,  a  question  whether  Jewish  or 
Gentile  interests  ought  to  have  the  preference,  but 
whether  they  were  to  abandon  a  flourishing  mission,  just 
at  the  moment  when,  with  the  conversion  of  the  Gov- 
ernor of  the  island,  the  Apostles  had  gained  an  unex- 
pected and  powerful  ally  to  the  great  Cause.  Moreover, 
Sergius  Paulus  was  to  remain  but  a  few  months  longer 

^  Acts  xiii.  9.  "  Saulus  autem,  qui  et  Paulus."  Hereafter,  both  in 
the  Acts  and  the  Epistles  we  shall  find  him  styled  thus.  The  hypothesis 
proposed  by  S.  Jerome  {Comment,  in  Epist.  ad  Philem.  1),  to  wit,  that  Paul 
took  the  name  of  Paul  in  memory  of  the  conversion  of  Sergius  Paulus,  is 
altogether  devoid  of  probability  ;  indeed,  the  Apostle  was  too  careless  of 
his  own  glory  to  vaunt  himself  in  this  fashion.  Elsewhere  {Saint  Peter, 
chap.  vi.  p.  101)  I  have  adopted  the  much  more  plausible  opinion  that 
Saul's  parents  gave  him  this  double  name  in  order  that  one  should  recall 
his  Jewish  ancestry,  while  the  other,  being  borrowed  from  Gentile  speech, 
might  facilitate  his  future  dealings  with  the  Pagan  world.  In  all  periods 
the  children  of  Israel  have  been  studious  of  such  means  of  furthering 
their  interests  with  the  foreigners  among  whom  they  were  forced  to  live. 
Joseph  was  known  by  the  name  of  Zaphnath-paaneah  while  at  the  court 
of  Pharaoh  (Gen.  xli.  45)  ;  Daniel,  during  his  life  on  the  Euphrates,  was 
called  Belshatzar  (Dan.  i.  7),  and  Hadassah  was  Esther  (Esth.  ii.  7).  The 
Hellenist  Jews  likewise  had  Greek  forms  for  their  names.  Jesus  gen- 
erally became  Jason  ;  Joseph,  Hegesippus  ;  Tarphon,  Tryphon.  Often  they 
merely  translated  the  Hebrew  name  ;  thus,  Cephas  became  Peter,  and 
Thomas  was  Didymus.  Still  oftener  the  Israelitish  freedmen  adopted  the 
first  name  of  the  masters  who  released  them  from  slavery.  I  have  alluded 
already  {Saint  Peter,  Joe.  cit.)  to  the  very  likely  supposition  which  would 
prove  that  Paul's  parents  were  of  that  number  of  citizens  of  Tarsus  who 
were  sold  to  pay  the  tribute  exacted  by  Cassius.  It  is  not  unlikely  that 
the  couple  should  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  ^milian  family, 
and  thus  been  freed  from  servitude,  whereupon,  out  of  gratitude,  these 
Jews  may  well  have  given  their  boy  the  name  {cognomen)  of  Paul,  so  glo- 
riously borne  by  Paulus  ^milius. 


SAINT  PAUL'S  FIRST   VISIT  TO   CYPRUS.  17 

in  office.  Why,  then,  throw  away  all  the  advantages  to 
be  gained  by  these  circumstances,  which  in  a  short  time 
would  no  longer  be  at  their  disposal  ?  Prudent  as  all 
this  must  have  seemed,  Paul  set  his  face  against  any 
proposals  of  delay:  he  would  listen  to  no  voice  but  that 
of  God,  which  was  now  calling  him  to  the  Gentiles. 
With  that  bold  note  of  authority  in  his  voice,  which 
thereafter  he  assumed  as  his  right  in  every  discussion,  he 
bade  his  comrades  prepare  to  quit  Cyprus. 

The  land  whither  he  was  hastening  their  steps  did  not 
until  a  later  date,  and  under  the  name  of  Asia  Minor, 
attain  any  semblance  of  political  unity.  At  this  period, 
far  from  forming,  like  Syria  or  Cyprus,  a  single  province, 
with  a  common  language  and  national  character,  under 
the  over  lordship  of  one  Eoman  governor,  this  region  was 
split  up  into  numerous  States,  very  much  at  variance  in 
matters  of  custom,  dialect,  and  religion  ;  some  being 
under  the  rule  of  Imperial  Prefects,  others  under  their 
own  princes,  as  the  vassals  of  Kome.  Geographers  ap- 
portioned this  peninsula  among  more  than  seventeen 
nationalities.  Rome,  it  is  true,  during  her  century  of 
supremacy,  had  managed  to  efface,  little  by  little,  the 
most  distinctive  features  of  each  particular  people  ;  nev- 
ertheless, Pamphylia,  which  was  to  be  the  Apostles' 
starting-point,  had  preserved  its  language  ;  ^  the  same 
is  true  of  Pisidia  and  Lycaonia;^  Carians,  Phrygians, 
dwellers  in  Pontus  and  Cappadocia,  all,  as  we  know,  had 
their  peculiar  dialect;^  Greek,  though  generally  under- 
stood, was  spoken  only  by  the  peoples  living  along  the 
eastern  coast.^ 

The  local  religions  likewise  had  gradually  altered  in 
many  features,  as  the  natives  came  more  in  touch  with 
the  Roman  world  ;  but  in  every  town  the  tutelary  deity 
had  managed  to  preserve  somewhat  of  his  ancient  pres- 
tige, despite  the  Grecian  or  Latin  name  by  which  he  was 
now  styled.     In   Caria   there  was    Jupiter   Labrandeus, 

1  Acts  ii.  10.  -  Strabo,  xiii.  iv.  17  ;  Acts  xiv.  10. 

^  Strabo,  xiv.  ii.  ;  Acts  ii.  9,  10;  Strabo,  xii.  iii.  25. 
*  Strabo,  xiii.  iv.  ;  xii.  iv. 

2 


18  SAINT  PAUL. 

with  heavy  beard  and  the  breasts  of  a  woman,  bound 
about  with  narrow  bands,  still  appearing  before  the  eyes 
of  his  worshippers  — what  indeed  he  was  —  a  truly 
Asiatic  god.  Sabazius,  the  divine  patron  of  Phrygia,  was 
a  deity  of  such  vague  attributes  that  the  Greeks,  not 
knowing  with  which  of  their  gods  to  identify  him, 
called  him  now  Bacchus  and  again  Jupiter.^  They  expe- 
rienced a  like  difficulty  in  renaming  Papas  and  Attis  of 
Bithynia,^  or  Hercules  Sandon  of  Lydia.^  The  moon, 
though  adored  at  Ephesus  under  the  features  of  a  Diana 
of  the  many  breasts,  farther  off  among  the  mountains 
and  steppes  of  the  interior  was  clothed  anew  in  a  mas- 
culine shape  and  became  the  god  Lunus,  Ma,  Men  Phar- 
nak.^  Even  there  where  the  Grœco-Ptoman  gods  made 
an  easy  conquest  of  their  Asiatic  rivals,  always  under- 
neath the  new  names  substituted  by  their  conquerors, 
the  olden  beliefs  remained  as  firm  and  abiding  as  before. 
Everywhere  there  was  the  same  passionate  belief  in  the 
marvellous,  in  the  gifts  of  second  sight,  and  in  the  inter- 
vention of  heaven.^  Holy  sites  and  shrines  were  in  abun- 
dance,—  Pessinus,  Olba,  Comanes,  Tyana,  Nazianzen, — 
all  were  hallowed  spots,  sacred  to  the  ceremonies  and 
mysteries  of  religion  ;  indeed,  many  of  the  towns  were 
so  penetrated  with  devotion  for  their  patrons  that  the 
priests  reigned  as  masters  in  their  midst.^ 

In  this  society,  hungry  for  pious  emotions,  a  new  wor- 
ship was  predominant  at  this  date,  —  that  of  Eome  and 
the  Caesars.  It  easily  gained  a  foothold  here  in  Asia 
Minor,  because  here  more  than  anywhere  else  the  Impe- 
rial authority  made  itself  felt  only  by  the  benefits  it 
conferred.     The  conquest  had  been  effected  without  any 

1  Pauly,  Real  Encyhlopddie,  Sabazius. 

2  Preller,  Griechische  Mythologie,  ii.  406-409. 

3  Muller,  Dorier,  i.  450;  cf.  Sandau  und  Sardanapal,  Rhein.  Mus. 
1829,  s.  22  ff. 

4  rXillinger,  Paganisme  et  Judaïsme,  t.  ii.  liv.  vi.  i.  8;  Pauly,  Real 
EncyMopàdie,  Lunus. 

s  From  Asia  Minor  came  tliose  famous  impostors  who  won  over  so 
many  followers  in  the  Roman  world  during  the  first  century,  —  Apol- 
lonius of  Tyana,  Alexander  of  Abnoticus,  Peregrinus  Proteus. 

s  Strabo,  xii.  ii.  5,  6  ;  xiv.  v.  10. 


SAINT  PAUL'S  FIRST   VISIT  TO   CYPRUS.  19 

signal  acts  of  violence,  —  without,  as  elsewhere,  crushing 
out  the  old  native  dynasties,  or  breaking  up  the  national 
life  with  its  institutions.  The  factitious  kingdoms  cre- 
ated by  the  Attales,  Amyntas,  and  Archelaus  had  lasted 
for  too  short  a  period  to  leave  any  notable  void  or  deep 
regrets  after  their  disappearance.  To  the  anarchy  of  so 
many  petty  rival  States,  with  their  perpetual  changes  of 
frontier  lines,  rulers,  and  forms  of  government,  succeeded 
the  sway  of  one  great  Power,  as  mighty  as  it  was  mod- 
erate, imposing  upon  all  parties  alike  a  peaceful  behavior 
and  respect  for  lawful  rights,  while  fostering  prosperity 
by  its  protection  of  labor.  The  entire  peninsula  loudly 
acclaimed  this  "  August  Providence."  ■^  The  temples 
raised  in  honor  of  their  new  patron  ^  were  soon  so 
thronged  with  worshippers  that,  to  provide  for  the  needs 
of  the  new  cult,  it  became  necessary  to  organize  a  hie- 
rarchy, with  a  numerous  officiating  clergy.*'^  Augustus's 
will  graven  upon  the  walls  of  some  of  these  sanctuaries 
recalled  to  their  minds  the  great  deeds  of  the  Emperor 
and  the  benefits  bestowed  by  Eoman  rule,  —  their  right 
and  title  to  the  adoration  of  the  world* 

In  this  summary  of  his  reign  the  Prince  glories  chiefly 
in  the  claim  that  he  never  once  destroyed  aught  that 
could  be  conserved  without  imperilling  the  State.  This 
indeed  is  why  we  find  here  in  Asia  Minor,  as  everywhere 
else  throughout  the  Empire,  such  a  medley  of  minor 
States,  some  under  the  immediate  rule  of  Eonie,  others 

1  SeySacrrr?  Upovoia.     Le  Bas,  Inscript.,  iii.  858. 

2  From  the  year  29  v..  c,  Ephesus,  Niceea,  Perç^amus,  and  Nicomedia 
had  temples  dedicated  to  Rome  and  the  Cœsars,  "  Romœ  et  Divi  JuUi," 
"  Romœ  et  Augusfo."  (Tacitus,  Annales,  iv.  37  ;  Dio  Cassius,  li.  20.)  The 
cities  of  Asia  Minor  hastened  to  follow  their  example.  Mvlasa  {Corp. 
Inscrip.  G/ftc,  2696),  Nysa  (lb.  2943),  Cyma  (lb.  3.524),  Assos  (lb.  3569), 
and  many  others  (lb.  3990  c,  4016,  4017,  4031,  4238,  4240  d,  4247,  4266, 
4363,  4366  b). 

^  Perrot,  Exploration  de  la  Galatie,  p.  199. 

4  This  testament  or  table  of  the  Acts  of  Augustus,  "Index  Rerum 
a  se  Gestarum"  (Suetonius,  Aiifjus/Ks,  101),  composed  by  the  Emperor, 
stood  in  his  mausoleum  at  Pome.  The  Latin  text  with  a  Greek  transla- 
tion had  been  engraved  on  the  temple  of  Ancyra  (  Corp.  Inscrip.  Grœc, 
4039).  It  is  probable  that  other  cities  did  the  same,  such  as  ApoUonia 
in  Pisidia,  Pergamos,  Nicomedia,  etc.     Renan,  S.  Paul,  p.  29.. 


20  SAINT  PAUL. 

with  their  own  vassal  kings.  Pamphylia,  where  the 
Apostles  were  about  to  land,  was  an  Imperial  Province  ;  ^ 
Antioch  in  Pisidia,  their  first  halting  place,  was  a  de- 
pendency of  the  Propnetor  of  Galatia/^  while  Iconium  be- 
longed to  a  Tetrarch  whose  name  is  unknown.^  But  as 
the  arm  of  Eome  reached  out  over  all  her  provinces  with 
equal  powers  to  punish  or  reward,  these  administrative 
divisions  are  matters  of  interest  to  the  curious,  rather 
than  of  importance  to  our  subject.  Accordingly,  as  we 
shall  see,  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament  also  pay 
small  heed  to  such  matters,  confining  their  notice  to  the 
various  peoples  differing  so  widely  in  origin  and  speech, 
but  now  dwelling  together  in  this  country  ;  when  they 
do  mention  names,  they  naturally  use  the  names  of  the 
old  provinces,  marked  out  as  such  by  the  very  typog- 
raphy of  the  regions,  by  differences  of  altitude,  climate, 
and  productions,  which  divided  this  peninsula  into  many 
sections  of  quite  opposite  characteristics. 

The  story  of  Saint  Paul's  journeyings  will  have  so 
much  to  do  with  Asia  Minor,  that  it  will  not  be  amiss 
to  preface  this  narrative  with  a  rough  sketch  of  the 
country  he  so  often  traversed.  Its  siirface  area  is  about 
equal  to  that  of  France,  and  by  far  its  greater  extent  is 
taken  up  by  a  central  plateau  flanked  by  mountainous 
spurs.  These  highlands  toward  the  east  would  seem  to 
be  both  a  continuation  of  the  mountains  of  Armenia, 
and  the  farthermost  point  of  advance  which  the  steppes 
of  Central  Asia  make.  Here  is  the  same  wild  land- 
scape, the  same  rigorous    climate,  while   here   as   there 

1  Claudius  constituted  the  Province  of  Lj/cia  Pamphj/Jia  in  a.  d.  43 
(Suetonius,  Claudius,  25;  Dio  Cassius,  Ix,  17).  Though  reunited  to 
Galatia  under  Galba  (Tacitus,  Historiée,  ii.  9),  in  74  it  once  more  formed 
the  "Province  of  Lycia  and  Pamphylia"  (Suetonius,  Vespasianus,  8; 
Eutropius,  vii.  19).  It  was  administered  by  a  Legatus  Augusti  pro 
Prœtore  until  135,  when  Adrian  made  it  a  Senatorial  Province  (Dio 
Cassius,  Ixix.  14). 

'■^  Marquardt,  Romische  Staatsverwaltung,  i.  358,  Galatia. 

2  Iconium,  Avhich  had  been  a  part  of  the  kingdom  of  Amyntas,  became 
after  his  reign  the  capital  of  a  small  Tetrarchy.  (Pliny,  Historia  Natu- 
ralis,  y.  25;  ilarqixardt,  Romische  Staatsverica/ftmg,  i.  385.)  These  sover- 
eignties were  only  nominal,  and  the  actual  power  remained  in  the  hands 
of  the  Roman  governor  of  Galatia. 


SAINT  PAUL'S  FIRST   VISIT  TO   CYPRUS.  21 

the  scanty  pasture-downs  are  dotted  over  with  bitter 
lakes  and  extinct  volcanoes.  The  water-shed  for  almost 
the  whole  extent  of  these  table-lands  trends  toward  the 
Black  Sea,  for  the  Taurus  range  of  mountains,  which 
bounds  it  on  the  south,  almost  borders  the  Mediterranean, 
leaving  no  more  than  a  strip  of  shore  along  the  coasts 
of  these  waters.  Toward  the  west,  the  plateau  stretches 
out  in  long  lines  of  hills  between  which  the  mountain 
torrents  find  their  way  to  the  sea  :  the  rivers  Hermus, 
Cayster,  and  Meander  here  flow  in  icy  rapids.  This  end 
of  the  peninsula  constitutes  Asiatic  Greece,  the  "  wild 
Ionia  "  of  the  poets,^  fatherland  of  Homer,  Thaïes, 
Heraclitus,  Pythagoras,  and  Herodotus.  Later  on,  as  we 
shall  see,  Paul  will  decide  to  make  a  long  sojourn  here- 
abouts, enkindling  a  new  flame  of  life  in  the  old  embers  ; 
but  just  now  he  is  turning  his  steps  toward  shores  of 
less  renown. 

The  bark  bearing  the  Apostles  was  headed  to  the 
northwest,  after  weighing  anchor  at  Paphos.  Breasting 
the  waves  which  separate  Cyprus  from  Pamphylia,-  their 
course  took  them  through  the  bay  of  Attalia  and  up  the 
Oestrus  Pdver^  as  far  as  Perga,  lying  in  the  very  heart  of 
those  lowlands  which  nowadays  are  so  unhealthy  that 
with  the  coming  of  spring  their  breezes  are  fatal  to 
human  life.^     Tl;oudi  under  better  cultivation  in  olden 

1  Propertius,  i.  vi.  31. 

-  Pamphvlia  is  one  of  the  least  celebrated  provinces  of  Asia  Minor; 
no  powerful  monarchy  ever  established  itself  there,  nor  had  it  any  city  so 
renowned  as  Tarsus,  Ephesus,  or  Smyrna.  The  seaboard  towns  of  the  re- 
gion—  Lyrnas,  Attalia,  Sidon  —  were  but  so  many  trading  ports  for 
pirates,  whither  the  Cilicians  came  to  traffic  in  their  booty  (Strabo,  xiv.  v). 
This  illicit  commerce  attracted  tliither  a  mixed  population,  to  whom  the 
country  owed  its  name  of  Pampliylia  {nâfj.(pv\oi,  peoples  and  tribes  of  all 
sorts)  ;  they  were  Greeks,  adventurous  colonists,  and  mountaineers  from 
the  Taurus. 

3  Several  rivers  empty  into  the  bay  of  Attalia.  The  Catarrhactes,  now 
almost  disappeared,  dashed  down  the  cliffs  in  the  neighborhood  of  Attalia  ; 
farther  to  the  east  the  Cestrus  and  Eurymedon  stream  gently  over  the 
beach.  The  courses  of  tliese  tAvo  streams  are  now  obstructed  by  sand-bars, 
but  in  ancient  times  the  Cestrus  was  navigable  as  far  as  Perga.  To  this 
fact  both  Strabo  (xiv.  iv.  2)  and  the  Acts  bear  witness. 

•^  The  rivers  saturated  with  calcareous  deposits  which  traverse  this 
plain  gradually  raise  the  level  of  their   bed,  whereupon,  from  time  to 


22  SAINT  PAUL. 

times,  and  consequently  less  noisome,  the  country  was 
nevertheless  a  prey  to  fevers  and  all  sorts  of  maladies 
during  the  summer  season.  Thus  the  custom  had  he- 
come  general  of  making  a  yearly  trip  to  the  mountains 
during  the  hot  weather.  With  the  first  days  of  the 
heated  term  all  villages  along  the  banks  were  deserted  ; 
men,  women,  children,  and  beasts  set  out  to  climb  the 
slopes  of  Taurus.  There  is  something  pecuHarly  fasci- 
nating about  this  route  to  the  hills,  where,  within  the 
space"  of  a  few  hours,  you  pass  through  a  flora  which 
reminds  one  of  the  tropics  to  that  of  much  colder  climes. 
At  the  base  of  the  mountains,  bristling  hedges  of  cactus 
surround  the  groups  of  graceful  palms,  while  well  known 
trees  of  our  own  northern  latitude  cover  the  foothills. 
Pines  interspersed  with  junipers  meet  us  at  the  next 
stage  of  our  upward  journey,  till  at  last  we  see  towering 
above  us  cedars  as  majestic  as  those  of  Libanus.^  Higher 
still,  above  this  forest  belt,  and  reaching  up  to  the  regions 
of  naked  rock  and  snow,  is  the  dense  shrubbery  which 
in  the  Taurus  takes  the  place  of  turf  ;  gay  wild-flowers 
cover  the  ground  beneath  the  brushwood  and  clothe  the 
heights  in  a  raiment  of  whose  coloring  the  neutral  tints 
of  our  Alps  can  give  you  no  idea.  It  was  on  these 
heights  and  along  the  neighboring  plateaus,  that  the 
health-seekers  made  their  summer  camps. 

Paul  must  have  arrived  in  Pamphylia,  so  far  as  we  can 
judge,  just  at  the  season  of  this  annual  migration.^  He 
could  not,  indeed,  have  left  Seleucia  earlier  than  the 
month  of  March,  for  before  that  date  the  sea  routes  were 
not  open  to  navigation  ;  ^  some  time  after  this  was  passed 

time,  the  waters  break  through  the  banks  of  the  natural  aqueduct  they 
have  been  forming  for  themselves,  and  inundate  the  lowlands  ;  as  they 
are  partly  stagnant,  they  form  ponds  and  marshes  whicli  render  the 
region  exceedingly  unhealthy. 

-  A  belt  of  beautiful  cedars  encircles  the  Taurus  at  the  height  of  2,000 
meters. 

-  This  hypothesis,  very  strikingly  stated  by  Messrs.  Conybeare  and 
Howson  [The  Life  and  Epistles  of  Saint  Paul,  chap,  vi.),  coincides  so 
happily  with  the  narrative  of  the  Acts  that  I  feel  fully  warranted  in  hav- 
ing adopted  it. 

3  "  Ex  die  tertio  Iduum  Novembris  usque  in  diem  sextum  Iduum  Mar- 
tiarum  maria  clauduntur."  Vegetius,  Institutionum  Rei  Militaris,  lib.  v. 
cap.  ix. 


SAINT  PAUL'S  FIRST   VISIT  TO   CYPRUS.  23 

in  Cyprus  ;  so  then  it  must  have  been  in  the  summer 
season  that  the-  Apostles  were  landed  in  Perga.  They 
did  no  more  than  "  pass  through  "  it,  according  to  the 
record  of  the  Acts.  This  circumstance  alone  warrants 
us  in  believing  that,  if  Paul  made  no  stay  here  on  the 
coast,  it  was  because  he  found  Perga,  like  the  other  cities 
of  the  plain,  already  depopulated  by  the  advent  of  the  hot 
season. 

Taking  advantage  of  this  state  of  things,  he  reverted 
to  his  first  plans,  and  urged  that  they  should  carry  the 
Tidings  of  Salvation  to  the  uncivilized  and  simple  folk 
whose  huts  were  scattered  over  the  wild  steppes  of  Asia 
Minor,  for  he  had  often  seen  some  of  these  highlanders 
at  his  own  home  in  Tarsus.  Barnabas  allowed  himself 
to  be  won  over  by  his  friend's  fervid  appeals,  but  Mark 
withstood  him.  The  journey  which  Paul  wished  them 
to  undertake  appalled  him.  This  was  no  longer  a  mis- 
sion such  as  Jews  were  wont  to  engage  in,  confined  to 
the  Mediterranean  shores,  with  the  familiar  Ghetto  at 
every  halting-place,  with  all  the  advantages  of  a  syna- 
gogue and  substantial  aid  wherever  they  took  up  their 
abode.  If  they  got  across  the  mountains  alive,  infested 
as  those  passes  were  with  brigands,^  the  road  must  lead 
them  along  the  dizzy  verge  of  precipices,^  while  with  the 
bridges  carried  away  by  tempests  and  the  fierce  swollen 
torrents,  what  would  become  of  them  in  that  desolate 
land  ?  ^  —  "  in  peril  from  rivers,  in  peril  from  robbers, 
in  peril  from  waste  places,  toil  and  weariness  of  every 
sort  "  ;  *  such  was  the  impression  which  these  first  days 

1  The  mountainous  region  which  separates  Asia  Minor  from  the  south- 
ern seacoast  has  always  been  peopled  by  pillaging  bauds.  Xenophon,  and 
Strabo  after  him,  depict  these  parts  as  a  den  for  robbers.  Even  Rome 
never  succeeded  in  completely  overcoming  them.  (Xenophon,  Aîiab., 
i.  11  ;  ix.  14  ;  Strabo,  lii.  vii.) 

^  Alexander  and  Antiochus  the  Great,  during  their  campaigns,  found 
few  marches  so  difficult  for  their  troops  as  was  the  passage  through  these 
defiles.     Arriauus,  i.  27,  28;  Folybius,  v.  72-77. 

3  Along  this  part  of  the  coast  of  Asia  the  rivers  which  find  a  passage 
through  the  craggy  heights  soon  become  furious  torrents.  The  gorges 
into  which  the  Oestrus  and  Eurymedon  precipitate  their  waters  are  so 
steep  tliat  bridges  were  necessary  at  very  many  points.    Strabo,  xii.  vii.  3. 

4  2  Cot.  xi.  26,  27. 


24  SAINT  PAUL. 

of  his  Apostolate  left  in  Paul's  mind.  Mark  felt  that  he 
was  not  made  of  the  courageous  stuff  fit  to  endure  such 
dangers  :  breaking  with  his  companions  he  took  his  de- 
parture for  Jerusalem. 

This  defection  hurt  the  Apostle  so  deeply,  that  seven 
years  later  the  wound  was  still  unhealed.  On  Barna- 
bas's  proposing  then  to  take  Mark  with  them  again  on  a 
second  missionary  journey,  Paul  steadily  opposed  such  a 
plan,  recalling  how  this  disciple  had  abandoned  them  on 
reaching  Pamphylia,  and  "had  not  gone  forth  to  the  work 
with  them."  ^  Clearly  the  Apostle  looks  at  him  in  the 
light  of  a  faint-hearted  creature  ;  the  Acts  leave  little 
doubt  on  that  point.  Perhaps  timidity  did  indeed  have 
some  share  in  determining  Mark's  decision,  but  this 
timidity  had  its  springs  in  something  beside  mere 
physical  fear.  This  disciple  of  the  Jerusalem  Church, 
brought  up  in  the  atmosjphere  of  pure  Judaism,  could 
not  fail  to  feel  some  alarm  at  finding  himself  associated 
with  the  Apostle  of  the  Nations,  now  for  the  first  time 
preaching  with  all  his  freedom  of  speech,  avowing  every 
day  with  greater  frankness  that  it  was  God's  design  to 
liberate  the  Church  from  the  Synagogue  and  all  its 
bondage.  To  such  novelties  as  these  Mark  much  pre- 
ferred the  middle  course  which  the  Twelve  had  thus 
far  managed  to  adapt  to  their  surroundings  ;  more  than 
that  of  any  other  Apostle,  the  Gospel  as  preached  by 
Peter  was  in  harmony  with  his  tastes.  So,  then,  he  only 
returned  to  Jerusalem  in  order  the  more  speedily  to 
rejoin  the  Head  of  the  Church  ;  becoming  one  of  his 
company,  he  remained  with  him  thereafter,  his  most 
faithful  disciple,  his  "  Interpreter  "  ^  and  scribe. 

1  Acts  XV.  38. 

2  'EpfiTji/evT-fis.  Papias  quoted  by  Eusebius,  Historia  Ecclesiastico, 
iii.  39. 


CHAPTER  IL 

FIEST  MISSIONARY  WOEK.  —  GALATIA. 

Once  fairly  across  the  lofty  chain  of  Taurus,  the  two 
Apostles  looked  out  over  a  world  of  unfamiliar  aspect, 
with  inclement  skies  overhead,  with  waste  and  lonely 
land  under  foot.  The  nomad  folk  who,  coming  from 
Central  Asia,  drive  their  flocks  and  herds  up  these  ele- 
vated plains,^  may  well  fancy  themselves  at  home  again 
on  their  native  steppes  :  here  are  the  same  stretches  of 
dry  and  scanty  pasturage,  the  same  gloomy  landscapes, 
bare  of  trees  and  unturned  by  the  plough.  There  are, 
however,  some  softer  features,  which  bespeak  the  vicinity 
of  the  Syrian  coast;  near  some  of  the  salty  marshes 
which  make  the  traveller's  eyes  smart  and  burn,  here  and 
there  are  sheets  of  fresh  water  encircled  with  shrubs  and 
brilliant  flowers  ;  wild  swans  glide  gracefully  over  their 
surface,  and  in  summer  thousands  of  storks  brighten  up 
the  dark  and  glossy  green  of  the  water  reeds.^ 

There  was  never  at  any  time  more  than  a  mere  sprin- 
kling of  hamlets  dotted  over  this  unkindly  soil  ;  still 
rarer  were  any  cities  of  great  wealth.  For  this  reason 
the  Jews,  whose  tendency  was  always  to  make  only  for 
the  great  centres  of  commerce  and  finance,  never  had  any 
large  holdings  here.  They  seem  not  to  have  found  their 
way  hither  at  all  until  a  rather  late  date,  and  then  only 
as  followers  of  the  Romans  and  under  their  protection, 
for  the  few  spots  where  we  can  discover  traces  of  Jewish 

1  In  Phrygia  and  in  the  plain  of  Erzeroum  the  plateau  attains  a  height 
of  2,000  meters  ;  the  mean  altitude  exceeds  1,000  meters. 

■^  The  storks  which  pass  the  winter  in  Egypt  take  up  summer  quarters 
in  Asia  Minor  ;  often  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  thousand  are  to  be  seen 
about  these  marshes. 


26  SAINT  PAUL. 

communities  of  any  importance  are  the  ruins  of  Koman 
colonies. 

Paul,  while  pushing  forward  into  the  heart  of  this 
almost  unknown  country,  did  not  forget  that  men  of  his 
own  blood  had  preceded  him.  Here,  as  always  and  every- 
where, while  regarding  the  Synagogue  as  a  building  fall- 
ing into  decay,  he  nevertheless  resolved  to  make  it  the 
vestibule  of  the  Church,  and  to  make  good  use  of  his 
title  of  Doctor  of  the  Law,  as  enabling  him  within  its 
walls  to  proclaim  salvation  to  all  men.  His  first  thought, 
therefore,  was  to  make  for  the  city  which  contained  the 
largest  Jewish  contingent.  Antioch  in  Pisidia,  situated 
farther  inland,  was  pointed  out  to  him  as  a  place  where 
there  were  sons  of  Israel  wielding  considerable  influence 
on  account  of  their  numbers.  Turning  his  steps  toward 
this  city,  Paul  crossed  the  lands  lying  between  it  and  the 
Taurus.  On  the  road  there  was  little  to  see  save  stray 
flocks  and  shepherds'  huts,  or  now  and  then  a  squalid 
village  with  its  cluster  of  flat  roofs  ;  at  night  they  passed 
small  camps  of  black  tents,  clustered  about  a  central  fire 
which  shot  up  a  red  light  into  the  night.  It  is  not  until 
you  reach  the  outskirts  of  Antioch  that  the  country  puts 
on  a  pleasanter  face  to  greet  the  wanderer.  Here  Lake 
Egherdir  refreshes  and  charms  the  eyes  wearied  to  death 
with  the  monotonous  sameness  of  the  steppes  ;  the 
wooded  banks  with  their  steep  slopes  rise  like  a  cup 
encircling  the  bright  blue  waves  ;  tiny  isles  of  green  dip 
their  gay  robes  in  the  silvery  depths  ;  no  more  graceful 
sheet  of  water  is  to  be  found  in  Italy  or  the  Alps. 

Antioch  was  built  to  the  north  of  this  lake,^  and 
along  an  eminence  which  overlooks  the  mountain  chain 
of  Soultan  Dagh.^     Its  superb  ruins  still  stand  to  attest 

1  About  ten  miles  from  its  banks. 

-  This  mountain  chain,  Avhich  8trabo  calls  the  Paroreia,  extends  from 
Tyriœum  to  Olmi,  in  a  southeasterly  direction.  According  to  this  geog- 
rapher, it  was  a  part  of  Great  Phrygia  (vStrabo,  xii.  A'iii.  14;  xiv.  ii.  29)  ; 
but  Pliny  {Hist.  Nat.,Y.  24),  Ptolemy  (v.  5,  4),  and  Steplien  the  Byzantine 
(under  this  Avord),  remark  Avith  more  exactness  tliat  it  belonged  to  Pisidia. 
S.  Luke  likewise  speaks  of  the  city  founded  in  this  region  as  "  Antioch  in 
Pisidia"  (Acts  xiii.  14). 


FIRST  MISSIONAR  Y  WORK.  —  GALA  TIA.  27 

its  ancient  splendor. ^  This  it  owed  to  Seleucus  Nicator, 
who,  comprehending  the  advantages  of  its  situation, ^  set  to 
work  to  transform  the  hamlet,  founded  by  some  wander- 
ers from  Magnesia,^  into  a  powerful  city.  The  importance 
of  Antioch  increased  daily  under  the  Seleucides,  losing 
none  of  its  prestige  later  on  under  the  Romans,  who 
made  it  a  colony  with  the  so  called  "Italian  Rights."* 
This  privilege  attracted  thither  many  foreigners,  and 
especially  the  Romans,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  great 
quantity  of  Latin  coins  and  inscriptions  reclaimed  from 
the  ruins.^  Both  the  government  and  social  influence  of 
its  new  masters  went  far  toward  modifying  the  ancient 
characteristics  of  the  city.  Hitherto  known  principally  as 
a  holy  city,  Antioch's  greatest  source  of  prosperity  was 
its  famous  temple,  in  which  the  moon  was  worshipped  as 
a  masculine  divinity  under  the  names  Lunus  and  Men 
Archaios.^  Thousands  of  priestly  serfs  lived  here  under 
its  sacred  rule.  Twenty-five  years  before  the  Christian, 
era,  Rome  shut  up  this  sanctuary,  and  dispersed  its 
ministers  ;  ^  nevertheless,  it  could  not  root  out  their 
religion  by  such  means,  and  in  fact  here  at  Antioch, 
secluded  in  its  far  off  mountain  fastnesses,  the  Apostle 
was  to  meet  with  much  the  same  sort  of  audience  as 
that  he  had  left  upon  the  Mediterranean  coast.     Here 


1  They  cover  a  considerable  tract  lying  near  the  hamlet  of  Jalovatch. 
Twenty-one  of  the  arches  nsed  for  tlie  aqueduct,  which  brought  the  moun- 
tain water  into  Antiocli,  are  admirably  preserved.  Arundell,  Discoveries 
in  Asia  Minor,  ch.  xii  -xiv.  ;  Hamilton,  Researches  in  Asia  Minor,  vol.  i. 
ch.  xxvii. 

-  This  Avas  the  most  important  stopping-place  on  the  road  Avhich  leaves 
Smyrna  and  Ephesus  and  makes  Tarsus  by  way  of  the  Cilician  Gates. 
From  century  to  century  armies  and  caravans  have  used  this  great 
highway. 

2  Strabo,  xii.  viii.  14. 

4  This  title  carried  with  it  exemption  from  certain  taxes,  and  the  right 
to  have  a  city  government  analogous  to  that  of  the  Italian  towns.  In 
memory  of  Augustus,  who  had  loaded  it  with  favors,  Antioch  added 
Cœsarea  to  its  name.  Strabo,  xii.  viii.  14.  Pliny,  Hist.  JVat.,  v.  24; 
Digest,  1.  XV.  8;  Corp.  Inscript.  Grœc,  no.  1586,  28l'l  b;  Eckhel,  vol.  iii. 
p.  18. 

5  Le  Bas  and  Waddington,  Inscript.,  iii.  no.  1189-1191,  1815. 
^  Strabo,  xii.  viii.  14. 

'  Ibid. 


28  SAINT  PAUL. 

too  Jews,  Eomans,  and  Orientals  had  mingled  their 
doctrines  and  superstitions,  to  the  confusion  of  the 
multitude. 

Though  in  a  minority,  taking  all  the  other  races  to- 
gether, the  Israelites  had  gained  great  influence  over  the 
people.  Womenfolk  were  particularly  apt  to  feel  their 
superiority  ;  in  the  services  of  the  synagogue  it  was  a 
common  sight  to  see  ladies  of  the  highest  rank  in  society 
taking  part  with  the  Jewesses  of  the  town,'  being  even 
more  notable  than  the  latter  in  their  zeal  for  the  Holy 
Word  ;  there  were  likewise  many  proselytes  in  the  ranks 
of  the  men  of  Israel.^  Evidently,  then,  there  was  no 
gathering  in  Antioch  where  one  would  be  more  likely  to 
meet  men  of  high  minds  and  with  hearts  open  to  welcome 
spiritual  truths  ;  accordingly,  on  the  first  Sabbath  after 
their  arrival  the  two  Apostles  entered  its  doors.  They 
did  not  appear  before  the  congregation  as  mere  strangers 
who  had  happened  in  ;  for  the  customs  of  their  nation 
made  it  a  point  of  duty  to  salute  the  brethren  on  their 
arrival  and  present  themselves  before  the  Elders,  —  Paul 
as  Doctor  of  the  Law,  Barnabas  as  Lévite.  However, 
they  did  not  avail  themselves  of  their  right  to  the  seats 
of  honor  in  the  sanctuary,^  but  remained  amid  the  con- 
gregation :  this  was  the  Saviour's  command,  and  they 
were  far  from  wishing  to  break  it.'* 

Standing  among  the  faithful,  like  them  with  their 
heads  veiled  and  faces  turned  toward  Jerusalem,  they 
joined  in  the  prayers  with  which  divine  service  opened. 
Next  came  the  reading  of  the  Law  and  the  Prophets,^ 

1  Acts  xiii.  .50.  2  J^^^tii  xiii.  16,  26,  43. 

3  These  seats  were  ranged  about  the  pulpit,  which  was  occupied  in  turn 
by  the  reader  of  the  Holy  l^ooks  and  the  l^'abbi  who  addressed  tbe  meet- 
ing. They  were  reserved  for  the  chiefs  of  the  Synagogue  and  strangers 
of  distinction. 

*  Mark  xii.  38,  39  ;  Luke  xx.  46. 

5  A  number  of  commentators,  after  Bengel's  examjde,  have  thought 
they  could  discover  the  very  lessons  Avhich  were  read  on  that  day.  They 
call  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  present  lectionary  of  the  Synagogue  can 
be  traced  back  to  very  ancient  sources,  and  in  this  service-book  the  first 
chapters  of  Deuteronomy  and  the  first  of  Isaiah  are  set  down  for  the  same 
day.  Now  S.  Paul's  comments  are  upon  these  very  passages  of  the  Law, 
while  at  the  same  time  he  repeats  the  exhortations  to  repentance  uttered 


FIRST  MISSIONARY   WORK.  — G  AL  ATI  A.  29 

and  after  that  the  headmen  of  the  Synagogue  sent  a  mes- 
senger to  say  to  the  new-comers,  "  Brothers,  if  you  have 
any  word  of  exhortation  for  the  people,  speak." 

Paul  rose,  and  with  his  hand  making  a  slight  gesture 
to  command  silence,  as  was  his  wont,  began. i 

"  Israelites,"  he  said,  "  and  you  [proselytes]  who  fear 
God,^  hearken."  Then,  calling  the  attention  of  the  latter 
to  the  Jewish  part  of  the  assembly,  he  continued  :  "  The 
God  of  this  people  ^  chose  our  fathers  and  reared  ^  this 
people  during  its  tarrying  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  and 
with  an  high  aim  brought  them  out  from  thence." 

Thus  to  marshal  these  glories  of  their  past  before  the 
eyes  of  the  Gentiles  was  enough  to  enlist  the  sympa- 
thies of  the  whole  synagogue  at  the  very  outset.  Paul 
proceeded  to  develop  the  sequel  of  this  marvellous  dis- 
pensation :  telling  how  God,  during  the  forty  years  in  the 
wilderness,  "  cares  for  Israel  as  a  mother  careth  for  her 
child ";^   how  the  heritage  of  seven  nations^  is  surren- 

by  Isaiah.  There  is  more  than  this  coincidence.  The  Apostle  borrows 
from  these  passages  two  words  —  v^waev  and  iTpo(f)0(p6pr](rev  —  seklom  used 
in  sacred  literature,  and  these  he  employs  in  the  same  sense  as  that  of 
Deuteronomy  and  Isaiah.  This  ingenious  hypothesis  has  all  the  appear- 
ance of  probability. 

1  Acts  xiii.  16;  xxi.  40;  xxvi.  1. 

2  Ol  (pofiovfxeuoL  rhu  Qe6u,  is  meant  to  designate  the  Gentiles  who,  with- 
out accepting  circumcision  and  the  Mosaical  rites,  practised  the  moral  law 
of  Israel  and  worshipped  Jehovah  as  the  true  God.  They  were  called 
"  Proselytes  of  the  Gate";  the  "Proselytes  of  Kighteousness"  Avere  in 
noway  different  from  Jews.     See  Saitd  Peter,  cliap.  iii.  p.  52. 

3  "  Hoc  dicit  Pisidis,  Judseos  digito  monstrans."     Grotius,  in  loco. 

■*  Thv  \ahv  v\\/w(reu  is  probably  an  allusion  to  tlie  passage  in  Isaiah  i.  2, 
Tioi/s  èyévv-qcra  Kal  vxl/aœcTa,  "  Sons  have  I  nourislied  and  raised,"  wherein 
the  Avord  "  raised"  is  used  in  the  sense  of  bringing  up  to  maturity,  in  the 
strength  of  man's  estate. 

°  The  Received  Text,  which  the  Yulgate  adopts,  has  irpoTrocpoprja-çu, 
"mores  eorum  sustinuit,"  "He  has  borne  with  their  manners,  —  their  con- 
duct "  ;  but  the  other  form,  irpocpocpopyja-eu,  must  be  the  right  reading,  for 
we  find  it  in  the  Alexandrian  MS.,  in  that  of  Ephrem,  in  the  Codex  Lau- 
dianus  (sixth  century),  the  Italic,  Syriac,  Arabian,  Coptic,  Sahidic,  and 
Ethiopian  versions,  as  well  as  in  many  of  the  Fathers,  the  Apostolic  Con- 
stitutions, S.  Athanasius,  S.  Cyril  of  Alexander,  Hesychius,  etc.  This 
word  would  seem  to  be  an  allusion  to  Deuteronomy  i.  31,  where  we  find 
the  same  term  employed  by  the  Seventy. 

^  The  seven  natioiis  thus  destroyed  were  the  Hittites,  Girgishites,  Ca- 
naanites,  Amorites,  Perizzites,  Hivites,  and  Jebusites.  Deut.  vii.  1  ;  Josh, 
iii.  10;  Neh.  ix.  8. 


30  SAINT  PAUL. 

dered  into  their  hands,  Judges  are  raised  up  for  their  de- 
liverance,!  and,  when  they  beseech  Him  for  them,  kings 
are  put  to  rule  over  them,  "  Saul  of  the  tribe  of  Benja- 
min," David,  "the  man  after  God's  own  heart,  from  whose 
seed  God  has  now  given  unto  Israel  a  Saviour,  Jesus." 
The  preaching  of  John  the  Baptist  had  apparently  ex- 
cited much  talk  here  in  Antioch  of  Pisidia,  and  his  au- 
thority must  have  been  still  accepted  as  incontestable,  for 
Paul  appeals  to  John's  words  alone  in  witness  of  the  fact 
that  Jesus  was  the  Messiah.  Decisive  as  the  Forerun- 
ner's testimony  may  have  been,  there  still  remained  the 
scandal  of  the  Cross,  —  a  Saviour  nailed  to  the  common 
gibbet  by  the  princes  of  the  nation  !  Paul  did  not  shirk 
the  difficulty,  rather  he  held  up  this  very  infamy  as  in 
itself  a  striking  proof  of  Jesus's  divine  mission. 

"  The  Jews  of  Jerusalem  and  their  leaders,  not  know- 
ing Jesus,  nor  rightly  understanding  the  words  of  the 
Prophets  which  are  read  every  Sabbath,  have  fulfilled  the 
latter  by  judging  Him."  All  that  had  been  foretold  of 
Him  had  been  realized  :  taken  down  from  the  Cross,  He 
was  laid  in  the  sepulchre,  and  God  hath  raised  Him  from 
the  dead  on  the  third  day.  "  And  for  many  days  there- 
after, they  that  went  up  with  Him  out  of  Galilee  to 
Jerusalem  beheld  Him  alive,  and  to  this  day  are  witnesses 
of  this*  fact  before  the  people." 

"Brethren,"  concluded  the  Apostle,  "  know  ye  this: 
'tis  through  Him  that  forgiveness  of  sins  is  announced 
unto  you.  Whosoever  believe th  in  Jesus  is  justified 
through  Him  from  all  things  whereof  you  could  not  be 
justified  by  the  Law  of  Moses." 

The  last  few  words  embodied  the  main  point  of  his 
discourse.^     Paul  is    here    proclaiming   that    Eevelation 

1  For  the  chronological  difficulty  presented  hy  this  passage  in  the  Acts, 
consult  M.  Vigouroux's  Manuel  biblique,  t.  ii.  pp.  45-50. 

'-  S.  Luke  has  composed  this  discourse  either  from  some  notes  of  it 
kept  at  Antioch  or  more  probably  from  an  analysis  made  by  S.  Paul  : 
it  should  be  regarded  as  simply  a  summary,  long  enough  to  convey  an  idea 
of  the  Apostle's  preaching  during  these  earliest  missionary  undertakings. 
Details  and  allusions  to  the  various  texts  he  chanced  to  be  commenting 
upon  changed  of  course  according  to  circumstances  of  time  and  place,  but 
the  basework  of  all  his  ideas  and  arguments  remained  the  same.     While 


FIRST  MISSIONARY   WORK.- GALATIA.  31 

which  he,  more  than  any  other,  had  been  charged  to 
publish  throughout  the  whole  world,  —  "  his  own  Gos- 
pel," ^  as  he  calls  it.  The  theology  of  Justification  and 
Grace,  in  the  form  under  which  the  Apostle  bequeathed 
it  to  the  Church,  is  to  be  found  only  in  its  germ  in  these 
first  sermons,  but  the  essential  dogma,  the  immediately 
practical  truth,  is  here  already  enunciated  :  Salvation  free 
to  all  simply  through  faith  in  Jesus  unfettered  by  the 
bondage  of  Mosaism. 

His  audience  was  moved  as  one  man  :  the  Scripture 
alludes  to  the  strong  feeling  under  which  the  meeting 
dispersed,  after  a  general  demand  that  he  should  con- 
tinue the  same  subject  before  them  on  the  following 
Sabbath  ;  but  this  first  discourse  had  already  won  over 
many  to  the  truth.  Paul  and  Barnabas,  on  leaving  the 
synagogue,  were  followed  by  a  throng  of  Jews  and  prose- 
lytes ;  they  continued  to  instruct  them  in  the  Faith,  and 
met  with  such  willingness  to  learn  on  the  part  of  these 
neophytes  that  soon  they  had  little  to  do  beside  encour- 
aging them  to  persevere.  These  conversions  caused  all 
the  more  stir  in  the  community  from  the  fact  that  the 
life  of  the  two  Apostles  repelled  any  suspicion  of  money- 
seeking  or  ambitious  designs.  Here  as  everywhere  else, 
Paul  doubtless  took  up  his  old  trade,  and  thereby  earned 
his  own  living  ;  thus,  if  one  wished  to  hear  the  conversa- 
tion of  this  strange  Jew,  whose  words  were  of  such  lofty 
matters,  he  was  to  be  sought  in  the  quarters  of  the  com- 
mon people,  seated  among  the  weavers  and  like  them 
working  with  his  own  hands.  But  this  artisan  life,  too, 
had  an  eloquence  of  its  own,  and  so  powerful  was  the 
attraction  exercised  by  this  unknown  Jew,  that,  when 
the  Sabbath  came  round,  almost  the  whole  city  had 
gathered  to  listen  to  the  word  of  God. 

The  Israelites  felt  small  satisfaction  at  the  sight  of  so 

similar  in  form  to  the  sermons  of  SS.  Peter  and  Stephen,  this  short  in- 
struction embodies,  in  brief  but  with  ^reat  clearness,  those  great  truths 
which  S.  Paul  was  destined  to  preach  :  Justification  through  faith^  in 
Jesus,  and  the  powerlessness  of  the  Mosaical  Law  when  it  is  a  question 
of  effacing  sin. 

1  Gal.  i.  11  ;  ii.  2:  Rom.  xvi.  25. 


32  SAINT  PAUL. 

great  a  concourse.  Their  high  position  in  the  affairs  of 
Antioch,  together  with  a  vigorous  propagation  of  their 
tenets  during  these  many  years,  had  won  over  to  the 
Synagogue  only  a  small  number  of  proselytes  after  all  ; 
and  now,  in  eight  days,  a  stranger  fills  its  walls  to  over- 
flowing !  It  was  something  more  than  unusual,  —  to 
them,  at  least,  it  was  unbearable.  Paul  was  hardly  per- 
mitted to  open  his  mouth  before  their  jealousy  broke 
forth,  and  they  began  to  contradict  everything  he  said, 
ridiculing  his  application  of  the  Prophecies  to  Jesus  :  as 
for  this  Christ,  in  Whom  the  Apostle  pointed  out  the 
Way  of  Salvation,  they  could  do  nothing  but  heap  blas- 
phemies on  His  Name.  All  in  vain  did  the  proselytes 
and  Gentiles,  deeply  moved-  by  such  tokens  of  blind 
hatred,  endeavor  to  testify  their  good  will  toward  Paul  ; 
the  fury  of  the  Israelites  waxed  every  moment  more 
violent.  The  Apostle  realized  that  he  was  powerless  to 
subdue  this  outbreak  of  rage  and  insults.  Barnabas  was 
by  his  side  :  then  both  "  growing  bold,"  as  the  Acts  have 
it,  launched  these  words  of  reprobation  against  their 
compatriots  :  — 

"  To  you  it  behooved  us  first  to  announce  the  Word  of 
God  ;  but  since  you  reject  it,  and  deem  yourselves  un- 
worthy of  Life  Eternal,  lo  !  now  we  go  forth  unto  the 
Gentiles,  for  so  the  Lord  liath  commanded  us,  —  '  I  have 
set  thee  to  be  the  light  of  the  Gentiles,  that  thou  mayest 
be  their  salvation  even  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth.'  "  ^ 

The  Pagans  could  not  witness  this  rupture  without 
secret  feelings  of  joy  ;  for  the  Faith,  as  preached  by  Paul, 
while  holding  out  the  same  goodly  hopes  as  were  to  be 
found  in  Judaism,  freed  them  from  the  burden  of  circum- 
cision and  other  obligations  from  which  they  shrank.  In 
his  preaching  they  recognized  "  the  word  of  the  Lord," 
and  gladly  "glorified  it."  ^  "And  as  many  as  wxre  des- 
tined unto  Life  Everlasting  believed."  The  Good  News 
overpassed  the  bounds  of  Antioch  itself,  and  "  spread  over 
the  whole  country  round  about."  ^  This  was  a  bitter 
vexation  to  the  Jews.     They  had  looked  to  deprive  the 

1  Acts  xiii.  46,  47.  2  ibid.,  48.  ^  ibid.,  49. 


FIRST  MISSIONARY  WORK.  -  GALATIA.  33 

Apostles  of  all  claims  to  authority  in  the  people's  eyes 
by  driving  them  from  the  Synagogue  ;  and  now,  far  from 
discrediting  them  by  this  step,  they  had  but  succeeded 
in  giving  new  fruitfulness  to  their  holy  ministry.  Not 
abating  one  whit  in  their  schemes  for  vengeance,  they 
resolved  to  resort  to  intrigue,  and  set  about  wielding  these 
familiar  weapons  with  all  their  customary  dexterity. 

Women's  influence  in  religious  affairs,  so  notable  at  all 
times  and  in  every  country,  was  just  then  most  over- 
whelming in  the  Orient.  Strabo  does  not  hesitate  to 
assert  that  there  they  were  mistresses  in  all  matters 
of  worship,  —  that  it  was  the  womenfolk  who  induced 
the  men  to  take  part  in  the  feasts,  the  ablutions,  and 
all  their  favorite  rites.^  At  Antioch  of  Pisidia  the  ladies 
of  highest  position  in  society,  for  the  most  part  mem- 
bers of  the  Mosaical  body,  set  themselves  to  oppose 
the  current  of  popular  feeling  which  was  bearing  the 
whole  city  toward  the  Christian  Faith.  The  Jews  were 
not  slow  to  make  use  of  their  prejudices,  and  by  their 
means  gained  over  the  leading  citizens  of  the  town,  and 
especially  the  Eomans,  who  had  all  the  power  in  their 
hands.  Being  so  much  better  versed  in  theological  con- 
troversy than  these  men  of  the  law  and  the  sword,  wield- 
ing too  a  powerful  influence  over  them  on  account  of 
their  unity  and  great  wealth,  it  was  not  difficult  for  the 
Jews  to  persuade  their  rulers  that  the  new  preachers 
were  bent  on  undermininof  the  established  order  of  things. 
This,  to  a  Eoman's  mind,  would  be  ample  reason  for 
stepping  in  and  stopping  the  whole  proceedings.  An 
order  from  the  municipality  was  issued  banishing  the 
new-comers  from  Antioch  and  from  all  territory  round 
about. 

The  two  exiles,  obedient  to  their  divine  Master's  com- 
mand, shook  off  the  dust  of  their  feet  against  the  city, 
and  took  their  departure.  This  sign  of  reprobation  was 
meant  for  the  obstinate  unbelievers  alone,  for  within  the 
walls  he  was  leaving  he  had  founded  a  zealous  Church, 
which  thereafter  became  a  never  failing  source  of  pride 

1  Strabo,  vii.  iii.  4. 
3 


^ 


34  SAINT  PAUL. 

and  comfort  to  the  Apostle.  The  banishment  of  their 
leaders  in  no  wise  dampened  the  ardor  of  these  neo- 
phytes. Nor  had  the  two  proceeded  far  on  their  way 
from  Antioch  when  Paul  received  messages  from  the 
flock  he  had  been  obliged  to  leave.  He  sums  up  their 
news  in  a  line  :  "  The  disciples  were  filled  with  joy  and 
with  the  Holy  Ghost."  ^ 

The  Apostles  had  only  to  turn  their  steps  to  the  west- 
ward in  order  to  find  other  towns  as  rich  and  prosperous 
as  Antioch  ;  for  human  life  had  found  its  way  into  the 
very  heart  of  these  Phrygian  mountains.  Beside  beautiful 
sheets  of  fresh  water,  and  in  the  midst  of  verdant  plains, 
—  very  like  the  pleasant  valleys  of  Ionia,  —  were  Baris, 
Apama3a-Kibotos,  and  Apollonia.  But  these  cities  were 
all  too  flourishing  to  escape  the  ascendency  of  Jewish 
colonists.  After  suffering  the  same  annoyance  at  their 
hands,  Paul  knew  he  was  sure  to  be  denounced  again  to 
the  Eoman  magistrates,  and  thus  be  treated  with  the 
same  suspicion  and  hard  usage  as  before.  His  eyes 
turned  rather  toward  Lycaonia.^  The  inhabitants  of  these 
parts,  living  not  far  from  his  native  Tarsus,  were  not 
unknown  to  him  ;  he  judged  them  to  be  an  uncultured 
people,  but  sincere  and  honest  withal  ;  this  was  enough 
to  draw  him  toward  them.  After  a  journey  of  four  or 
five  days,  the  Apostles  reached  the  outskirts  of  Iconium. 

To  the  west,  this  town  commands  the  approaches  to 
the  high  table-lands  of  Asia  Minor.  Snow-capped  peaks 
surround  it  on  all  sides  save  to  the  east,  where  the  deso- 
late steppes  extend  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach.  Like 
Damascus,  it  seems  to  spring  from  the  desert,  and  never 
failing  springs  make  it  an  eyot  of  greenery  amid  the  seas 
of  sand.  All  along  the  course  of  the  rivulets  there  are 
gardens  and  orchards  to  refresh  the  wearied  sight.  To- 
day the  principal  renown  of  Iconium  (Konieh)  is  due  to 
the  Turks,  who  chose  it  for  the  first  residence  of  their 
Sultans.     The  ramparts  raised  in  that  period,  and  still 

1  Acts  xiii.  52. 

2  Like  Pisidia,  Lycaonia  was  a  dependence  of  the  Roman  Province  of 
Galatia.     Dio  Cassius,  liii.  26  ;  Corp.  Inscript.  Grœc,  no.  3991. 


FIRST  MISSIONARY   WORK.— GALATIA.  35 

standing,  attest  the  might  of  the  Tartar  tribes,  which 
overwhelmed  the  Arab  power  of  those  days,  and  have  main- 
tained their  dominion  thereabouts  ever  since.  Tliough 
boasting  of  no  such  local  pre-eminence  in  the  Apostle's 
day,^  the  town  was  not  so  poor  as  to  be  passed  over  un- 
noticed by  the  masters  of  the  Empire  ;  for  Claudius,  about 
this  very  time,  granted  it  the  rights  and  title  of  a  Koman 
Colony.2 

The  concession  of  such  privileges  presupposes  the  pres- 
ence of  many  Eomans  in  these  parts.  Jews  too,  here  as 
ever,  following  in  their  train,  had  reaped  such  harvests  of 
prosperity  in  their  new  home  that  a  synagogue,  much 
frequented  ■  by  proselytes  as  well,  had  been  built  in  Ico- 
nium.  Paul  and  Barnabas  made  their  first  appearance  in- 
the  community  before  this  congregation,  and  spoke  with 
such  success  that  a  multitude  of  Jews  and  Greeks  em- 
braced the  Faith. 3  These  conversions  aroused  the  same 
angry  controversies  as  before  in  Antioch  of  Pisidia.  The 
Israelites  who  did  not  believe  in  their  message,  incensed 
at  the  prospect  of  being  abandoned  by  their  own  breth- 
ren, did  their  best  to  embitter  the  minds  of  the  Gentiles 
against  the  preachers.  This  first  storm-cloud,  however, 
only  rolled  sullenly  over  their  heads  as  yet,  without  burst- 
ing upon  them.  "God,"  says  another  ancient  reading  of 
the  sacred  text,^  "  shortly  restored  peace  to  them." 

The  Apostles  made  good  use  of  this  interval  by  found- 
ing a  Church.  "  They  tarried  long  in  this  city,  and  spoke 
boldly,  confiding  in  the  Lord."  And  God,  "  working  mira- 
cles and  wonders  by  their  hands,  rendered  His  witness 
to  the  words  which  proclaimed  His  Grace,"  ^  insomuch 

1    Strabo  (vii.  vi.  1)  describes  it  as  bein;;  a  small  but  populous  town. 

-  Corp.  Inscn'pt.  Grœc,  no.  3991, 3993  ;  Kt-khel,  vol.  iii.  pp.  31-33.  When 
colonized  anew  under  Adrian  it  took  the  title  of  Colonia  yElia  Iconiensis 
(Mionnet,  iii.  p.  .535,  n.  13).  Cf.  Marquardt,  Rdniische  Staatsverwaltung, 
i.  364. 

3  Acts  xiv.  1. 

^  'O  Se  Kvpio^  eBooKeu  raxv  €ipr]vr]v.  This  is  the  reading  given  in  the 
Codex  Bezœ  (D)  ;  it  is  found  also  in  a  MS.  of  the  Vulgate  (twelfth  cen- 
tury) and  on  the  margin  of  the  Syriac  \"ersion  of  Thiloxenus.  The  Codex 
Laudianus  has  almost  the  same  form,  'O  Se  Kvpios  elprjvrjv  erroirjafv. 

5  Acts  xiv.  3. 


36  SAINT  PAUL. 

that  their  preaching  was  as  fruitful  as  it  was  untiring 
and  full  of  zeal.  In  the  number  of  their  conquests  was 
ïhekla,  the  most  illustrious  virgin  of  Apostolic  times. 
We  only  know  of  this  young  Pagan  of  Iconium  from 
tradition,  and  even  thus  but  confusedly,  for  her  story  (or 
Acta,  to  use  the  ancient  term)  was  almost  immediately 
embellished  by  the  addition  of  pious  legends.  Toward 
the  close  of  the  first  century,  a  priest  of  Asia  brought 
into  vogue  a  narrative,  in  great  part  imaginary,  of  the 
Journeyings  of  Paul  and  Thelda.  Seeing  that  Saint 
John,^  and  with  him  the  early  Church,  had  disowned  this 
apocryphal  worlv,^  the  Fathers  of  the  succeeding  cen- 
turies doubtless  preserved  such  traditions  alone  as  were 
of  authorized  value,  and  from  these  they  have  drawn 
a  portrait  of  the  Saint  which  we  may  regard  as  true 
to  life.3 

Thekla  is  portrayed  by  them  as  having  been  betrothed 
to  one  of  the  foremost  personages  of  the  city  before  the 
arrival  of  Paul.  Her  passion  for  Heavenly  things  so 
ravished  her  heart,  that,  in  order  to  belong  to  the  Christ 
and  to  Him  alone,  she  resolved  to  remain  a  virgin,  —  a 
holy  purpose  which,  owing  to  her  kinsfolk's  opposition, 
transformed  her  life  into  a  long  martyrdom.^  She  became 
only  the  more  intent  on  moulding  herself  after  her  divine 
Model  by  constant  meditation  on  "  the  Word  of  Life."  ^ 

It  is  said  that  she  was  well  versed  in  profane  litera- 
ture, and  rose  easily  to  the  loftier  plane  of  the  Master's 
teachings;  it  seems  not  unlikely  that  she  followed  after 
Paul  upon  his  departure  from  Iconium,  and  became  one 

1  Tertullian,  De  Baptismo,  17  ;  S.  Jerome,  De  Vir.  Illustr.,  7. 

2  Baronius,  47,  §  2. 

3  So  many  of  the  Fathers  (SS.  Methodus,  John  Chrysostom,  Gregory  of 
Nyssa,  Gregory  of  Naziauzen,  Amln-ose)  agree  so  notably  concerning  the 
princijjal  facts  of  S.  Thekla's  life  that  we  can  but  accord  our  belief  to 
their  united  testimony. 

•*  The  Bollandists  (May,  vol.  i.  p.  42.  2)  hold  that  Thelda  did  not  die  a 
violent  death.  To  be  sure  she  is  styled  the  "  first  martyr  "  among  Chris- 
tian women,  by  several  Fathers  (SS.  Isidore  of  Pelnsinm,  1.  3,  p.  19; 
Gregory  of  Nazianzen,  Or.  3,  p.  7  ;  and  by  Evagrius,  1.  iii.  c.  8)  ;  but  in 
primitive  times,  Avhen  one  had  suffered  much  for  confessing  the  Faith,  he 
was  accorded  this  title. 

6  Philip,  ii.  16;  Eph.  V.  26. 


FIRST  MISSIONARY  WORK.  — GALATIA.  37 

of  his  most  fervent  disciples.  The  fame  of  Thekla's  wis- 
dom was  ever  after  held  in  high  renown  throughout  Asia 
Minor.  Three  centuries  later,  Methodus,  a  Bishop  of 
Lycia,  allotted  to  her  the  seat  of  honor  at  his  "  Banquet 
of  the  Ten  Virgins,"  placing  her  above  Agatha,  Marcella, 
and  Domnina.  "  '  To  her,'  cry  out  her  maiden  com- 
panions, '  belongs  the  fairest  and  freshest  crown  of  gar- 
lands ;  for  she  hath  bloomed  brighter  than  all  the  rest  in 
virtue.'  "  ^ 

Meanwhile,  as  the  Apostles  continued  untiring  in  the 
work  of  preaching,  and  God  as  bountiful  in  fructifying  it, 
it  was  not  lonej  before  there  were  two  towns  within  the 
walls  of  Iconium,  —  one  Christian,  wherein  Paul  swayed 
men's  minds  and  hearts,  the  other  still  in  the  hands  of 
the  Jews.2  The  strong  feeling  excited  among  the  latter 
had  quieted  down,  but  it  was  only  a  surface  calm  ;  under- 
neath, hatred  and  envy  were  gathering  for  an  outbreak. 
Like  their  co-religionists  at  Antioch  of  Pisidia,  they  had 
expected  to  see  the  missionaries  lose  all  influence  with 
the  people,  once  their  preaching  was  contemned  and  dis- 
owned by  the  official  opinion  of  Jewry.  Disillusioned 
by  the  daily  growth  of  the  movement,  they  finally  decided 
to  make  use  of  the  ample  powers  accorded  to  every  Jew- 
ish community  to  judge  and  punish  its  own  members. 
Howbeit  their  head  men  were  unwilling  to  take  this 
step  without  the  concurrence  of  the  Pagan  population. 
Accordingly,  they  began  to  go  about  among  the  pop- 
ulace, working  upon  their  prejudices,  and  thus  winning 
them  over  to  their  plan,  which  was,  in  a  word,  to  fall 
suddenly  upon  the  strangers,  and  then  "  treat  them  con- 
tumeliously  and  stone  them."  Apparently  the  act  of 
outrage  referred  to  was  the  whipping  inflicted  by  the 
Synagogue  ;  ^  if  this  punishment  proved  insufficient  to 
curb  the  audacity  of  these   innovators,  they  were  to  be 

^  S.  Methodus,  Convivium  Decern  Virginum,  Or.  xi.  cap.  1. 

2  Acts  xiv.  4. 

^  "T^piaai.  Acts  xiv.  5.  It  is  true  that  floo:o;ing  was  not  regarded  by 
the  Jews  as  In-anding  one  \\\t]\  infamy,  l)ut  it  was  none  the  less  abhorrent 
to  Gentiles,  who  in  this  instance  abetted  the  Jews  in  their  attempts  to  in 
flict  this  punishment  on  the  Apostles. 


38  SAINT  PAUL. 

put  to  death  by  stoning,  with  sentence  duly  passed  upon 
them,  according  to  the  Law.  The  Apostles  knew  their 
fellow  countrymen  too  well  to  think  of  trying  to  weather 
such  a  whirlwind  of  fanaticism  as  this  bade  fair  to  be. 
Forewarned  of  the  overhanging  danger,  they  fled  from 
Iconium. 

The  twice-told  tale  of  Antioch  and  Iconium  was  enough 
to  teach  Paul  what  he  had  to  expect  hereafter  from  the 
Israelitish  communities  established  in  large  towns.  He 
made  shift  to  avoid  a  repetition  of  this  for  a  while  by 
striking  out  toward  the  interior  of  Lycaonia,  whose  pov- 
erty was  the  best  defence  it  could  possess  against  the 
inroads  of  Eoman  arms.  The  highlands  which  go  to 
make  up  this  district  are  dreary  and  swept  by  chilly 
winds  ;  the  steppes  stretch  out  on  every  hand  in  all  their 
naked  barrenness,  —  marshy  in  winter,  in  summer  baked 
and  cracked  by  the  sun,  providing  but  sparse  and  dismal 
pasture-ground  for  the  flocks  of  sheep  and  the  wild  asses 
which  browse  about.^  In  traversing  these  wastes,  the 
Apostles  were  journeying  toward  the  Cilician  range  of 
the  Taurus,  which  shuts  in  the  province  of  Lycaonia  to 
the  south.  Before  you  reach  this  chain,  you  see  the 
gloomy  crags  of  an  extinct  volcano,  Kara-Dagh,^  spring- 
ing from  the  plain  in  lonely  isolation.  Two  small  towns, 
Lystra^  and  Derbë,*  built  about  the  approaches  of  the 
mountain,  offered  the  Apostle  what  he  was  in  search  of,  — 

1  Amyntas,  before  becoming  king  of  this  country  and  Avhen  he  Avas  no 
more  than  chieftain  of  a  nomad  tribe,  pastured  three  hundred  flocks  on 
this  steppe.     Strabo,  xii.  ii.  1. 

2  "  The  Black  Mountain." 

3  Kiepert  locates  Lystra  to  the  east  of  the  foot  of  Assar-Dagh  ;  Leake, 
at  Khatoun-Serai,  about  twenty-five  miles  south  of  Iconium  ;  Hamilton, 
Avhose  opinion  seems  most  probable,  at  Bir-Bir-Killeseh  (The  Thousand 
and  One  Churches),  in  a  valley  to  the  north  of  Kara-Dagh.  The  name 
of  this  place,  formerly  the  seat  of  a  bishopric,  came  from  the  Byzantine 
churches  which  .still  strew  the  ground  with  their  ruins.  The  number  1001 
given  it  by  the  Turks  is  much  exaggerated,  and  would  seem  to  be  a  pro- 
verbial phrase  (like  the  Thousand  and  One  Nights)  ;  twenty-four  of 
these  sanctuaries  are  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation  ;  traces  of  some  forty 
others  are  visible  ;  all  else  is  but  a  mass  of  debris.  Hamilton,  Asia 
Minor,  ii.  316  et  seq.  ;  Leake,  Asia  Minor,  p.  102  et.  seq. 

4  Derbë  was  in  Isauria,  on  the  frontiers  of  that  region  and  Cappadocia 
(Strabo,  xii.  vi.  3).     It  was  an  important  fortress  and  stood  near  a  lake 


FIRST  MISSIONARY  WORK.  — GALATIA.  39 

a  territory  wellnigh  free  from  foreign  domiiiion,^  with  a 
population  of  plain  and  frugal  habits,  living  for  the  most 
part  a  shepherd  life.  The  robber  bands,  by  holding  the 
neighboring  mountain  passes,  kept  the  foreigners  at  bay. 
In  regions  where  Eomans  found  it  so  difficult  to  force 
an  entrance,  no  Jews  were  likely  to  risk  their  lives  and 
goods  ;  neither  Lystra  nor  Derbë  possessed  a  synagogue. 
Paul,  therefore,  encountered  no  obstacles  to  the  work  of 
preaching,  and  his  sermons  were  crowned  with  success  ; 
for  the  Pagans  who  crowded  to  hear  him,  though  an 
unlettered  folk,  and  of  unpolished  manners,  were  of  a 
religious  cast  of  mind.  Kowhere  else  in  Asia  Minor  was 
faith  in  the  intervention  of  the  gods,  and  in  their  near- 
ness to  human  life,  treasured  more  zealously.  Jupiter 
and  Mercury  especially  were  wont  (so  they  said)  to  ap- 
pear among  them  on  their  frequent  passages  through  the 
land.  Here  you  were  told  the  tale  of  how  Lycaon,  for 
having  mocked  at  the  deities,  was  changed  into  a  wolf  ;  ^ 
elsewhere  more  amiable  tokens  of  their  presence  were 
pointed  out  to  the  traveller,  such  as  two  trees  with  their 
trunks  and  foliage  intertwined  ;  these  were  no  other  than 
Philemon  and  Baucis,  who,  as  a  reward  for  their  pious 

(<f>povpiou  KoX  Kifx-^u  [read  Kifxuri],  Stephen  of  Byzance)  which  can  be  no 
other  than  Ak-Ghieul,  for  the  part  of  Cappadocia  touched  by  Derbë  was 
the  country  of  Castabala  and  Cybistra  lying  between  Tyana  and  the 
Cilician  Gates,  consequently  to  the  east  of  Ak-Ghieul  (Strabo,  xii.  i.  4; 
Cicero,  Ad  Fam.,  xv.  2,  4;  Ad  Att.,  v.  18,  20).  On  this  spot  Hamilton 
has  found  the  ruins  of  a  town  which  he  identifies  Avith  Derbë.  It  is  to 
be  noticed,  however,  that  farther  south  is  Divlë,  which  is  anotlier  form  of 
the  ancient  Derbë,  called  also  Delbia  ;  but  Divlë  is  without  any  lake  in 
its  neighborhood  and  corresponds  in  very  few  points  to  the  description 
of  it  given  by  Stephen  of  Byzance.  See  Hamilton,  Researches,  ii.  pp.  313 
et  seq. 

1  It  seems  impossible  to  believe,  as  Lewin  would  have  us  {life  of  S. 
Paul,  vol.  i.  pp.  131,  146),  that  this  whole  region  was  once  part  of  the 
kingdom  of  Antiochus  of  Commagenë.  There  exists,  it  is  true,  a  medal 
of  that  ruler  bearing  on  its  reverse  the  word  Avkuouwu  (Eckhel,  iii.  255), 
whence  it  might  seem  that  Caligula,  when  conferring  mountainous  Cilicia 
on  Antiochus  (Dio  Cassius,  lix.  8),  added  to  it  certain  districts  of 
Lycaonia;  but  it  would  certainly  be  going  too  far  to  suppose  that  he  ex- 
tended it  so  as  to  comprise  all  Isauria  with  Lystra  and  Derbë.  Pliny 
expressly  mentions  the  Lystrians  among  the  peoples  who  made  up  the 
Roman  Province  of  Galatia  {Hist.  Nat.,  v.  42). 

2  Ovid,  Metam.,  i.  220-241. 


40  SAINT  PAUL. 

hospitality,  had  obtained  the  favor  of  uniting  their  desti- 
nies forevermore.^ 

This  superstition  gave  rise  to  a  curious  incident,  of 
which  Lystra  was  the  scene.  Paul  was  preaching.^ 
Among  his  hearers  he  espied  an  infirm  man  lying  pros- 
trate at  his  feet;  this  unfortunate  creature,  a  cripple 
from  birth,  had  never  known  what  it  was  to  walk.  The 
Apostle  fixed  upon  him  that  piercing  gaze  which  pene- 
trated men's  hearts,  and,  perceiving  that  his  was  the  faith 
of  those  who  should  be  saved,  he  spoke  to  him  in  a  loud 
voice,  "Stand  upright  on  thy  feet." 

The  maimed  man  obeyed,  and  in  the  first  surprise  of 
this  unwonted  agility  began  "  to  leap  and  to  walk  "  at 
once.  The  throng  gazed  for  a  moment,  astounded  at  this 
marvel  ;  in  another  moment  breaking  out  in  cries  of  de- 
light and  religious  awe. 

"  These  are  the  gods  !  "  they  exclaimed  in  the  Lycaonian 
speech.  "  The  gods  have  taken  upon  themselves  the  form 
of  men  to  come  down  among  us." 

Barnabas  was  of  prepossessing  stature  in  contrast  to 
his  companion,  so  short,  homely,  and  delicate  in  appear- 
ance. Accordingly  "  they  called  him  Jupiter,  and  Paul 
Mercury,  because  he  was  the  spokesman  of  the  two."  ^ 

The  Apostles,  alike  ignorant  of  the  language  of  the 
country,^  did  not  understand  the  shouts  of  the  multi- 
tude,^ and  withdrew  to  their  lodging-place.     Meanwhile 

1  "  Ostendit  adhuc  Tyaneius  illic 
Incola  de  geminio  vicinos  corpore  truncos." 

Ovid,  3fet.,  viii.  621-725. 

2  Evidently,  in  Greek,  —  as  it  was  the  only  language  in  common  use 
in  the  various  provinces  of  the  Roman  Empire.  None  the  less  the  inhab- 
itants of  each  country  spoke  their  own  tongue  or  dialect  when  among 
themselves. 

3  Hermes  Xoyios  was  the  god  invoked  by  orators.  He  was  tlie  god 
of  eloquence  and  good  language.  Preller,  Griechische  Mijthologie,  B.  i. 
S.  263;  Oiyhens,  Hymn,  xxviii,' 4  ;  Ovid,  Fast.,  v.  668;  Lucian,  Ga/lus  2. 

4  Scholars  do  not  agree  concerning  the  nature  of  the  Lycaonian  tongue. 
Jablonski  thinks  it  Avas  a  corruption  of  Assyrian,  Guhling  a  mixture  of 
Greek  and  Syriac.  These  differences  of  opinion  are  not  surprising,  con- 
sidering that  we  now  know  but  a  single  word  of  this  dialect,  —  5eA)8em, 
a  juniper  tree. 

^  S.  Paul  tells  the  Corinthians  (1  Cor.  xiv.  18)  that  he  possesses  the 
Gift  of  Tongues,  but  he  does  not  say  that  he  can  speak  every  language.    So 


FIRST  MISSIONARY  WORK.  — GALATIA.  41 

rumors  of  the  miracle  being  noised  about,  the  little  town 
was  roused  to  a  whirlwind  of  commotion.  People  ran 
in  all  haste  to  the  temple  of  Jupiter,  which  stood  out- 
side the  gates,  to  tell  the  priest  that  the  God  of  Lystra 
was  within  its  walls,  and  he  was  urged  to  come  at 
once  and  offer  sacrifices  to  him.  Fat  bulls,  the  victims 
most  acceptable  to  Jupiter  and  to  Mercury,  were  led 
forth,^  their  foreheads  wreathed  with  garlands  ;  ^  priests 
and  people  likewise  decked  themselves  with  flowery 
crowns,  and  in  ever  increasing  numbers  the  procession 
pressed  forward  toward  the  Apostles'  dwelling-place.^ 

At  last  Paul  and  Barnabas  began  to  understand  the 
nature  of  this  sacrilege  which  threatened  them.  Over- 
come with  horror,  they  rent  their  garments  and  rushed 
out  to  meet  the  crowd. 

"  What  are  you  about  to  do  ?  "  they  cried  ;  "  we  are  men 
like  yourselves,  subject  to  the  same  infirmities  as  you. 
Just  this  is  what  we  are  preaching  to  you,  —  that  you  be 
converted  from  these  vain  superstitions  unto  the  living 
God  Who  hath  made  heaven  and  earth,  the  sea,  and  all 
thai  they  contain."  Then  they  began  to  speak  to  them 
of  the  Most  High  God  Whom  these  Pagans  so  grossly 
misconceived,  at  the  same  time  excusim»'  their  errors, 
because  born  of  the  darkness  in  which   they  had  lived 

far  as  we  can  see,  these  supernatural  gifts  were  not  a  permanent  power, 
of  universal  extent,  which  he  could  make  use  of  at  his  own  pleasure. 
When  God  deemed  it  opportune  for  tlie  diffusion  of  the  Gospel  that  the 
Apostle  should  speak  divers  tongues,  or  prophesy  or  work  miracles,  the 
power  of  performing  these  prodigies  was  given  him  from  on  High.  But 
outside  of  these  special  circumstances  Paul  was  a  man  like  ourselves. 

1  The  ox  was  the  victim  consecrated  to  Jupiter  (Marquardt,  Roniische 
Staatsvenvdltimr/,  iii.  167)  ;  but  it  was  also  one  of  the  offerings  commonly 
made  to  Mercury.    Perseus,  S(tf.  ii.  44. 

2  Victims  were  ornamented  with  garlands.  Statius,  Theh.,  iv.  449; 
Prudentius,  Pen'steph.  xiv.  1021,  etc.,  "  Ipsce  denique  fores  et  ipsœ  hostiœ 
et  arge,  ipsi  ministri  ac  sacerdotes  eorum  coronantur."  Tertullian,  De 
Corona,  x. 

3  'ETTi  rohs  TTvAâuas  would  seem  to  mean,  not  the  doors  of  the  temple 
of  Jui)iter,  hut  those  of  the  house  where  the  Apostles  were.  Uv\u)u  often 
has  this  signification.  (Luke  xvi.  20;  Acts  x.  17;  xii.  13;  Julius 
Pollux,  Onomaslicon,  i.  viii.  77;  H.  Etienne,  Thesaurus,  under  this  word.) 
A  large  nun^.her  of  commentators  have  adopted  this  interpretation, — 
Cornelius  a  Lapide,  Patrizi,  Beelen,  Plumptre,  Alford,  Lewin,  Farrar. 


42  SAINT  PAUL. 

theretofore.  God  had  indeed  "  in  past  times  suffered  the 
nations  to  walk  in  their  own  ways  "  ;  though  even  in 
this  valley  of  shadows  His  Presence  had  made  itself  felt 
withal.  He  had  never  ceased  to  reveal  Himself  in  the 
good  things  lavished  upon  mankind,  for  it  is  He  "  Who 
sendeth  down  the  rain  from  heaven  and  the  fruitful 
seasons,  He  too  Who  filleth  the  hearts  of  men  with  food 
and  gladness." 

Useless  words  !  the  populace,  stubbornly  holding  to  its 
first  view,  was  loath  to  be  dissuaded  from  it.  What  was 
the  sense  of  proposing  that  they  renounce  the  divinities 
whom  they  had  just  now  seen  and  touched  for  the  sake 
of  an  unseen  God  ?  Why  should  they  throw  away  all 
the  benefits  which  —  as  they  fancied  —  were  the  gifts  of 
Jupiter  and  Mercury  ?  The  Jewish  idea  that  Heaven 
works  its  miracles  in  proof  of  divine  doctrines  was  far 
too  subtle  for  these  earthly-minded  peasants  ;  they  looked 
upon  the  prodigy  performed  by  the  Apostles  as  simply 
proving  the  all-powerfulness  of  its  authors,  and  were  still 
bent  on  worshipping  them.  A  veritable  strife  was  un- 
avoidable, and  it  required  all  Paul's  strength  of  will  to 
keep  them  from  accomplishing  this  sacrilegious  deed.  The 
crowd  dispersed  at  last,  balked  of  its  purpose,  but  nourish- 
ing feelings  of  resentment  in  the  depths  of  their  hearts, 
and  the  effects  soon  made  themselves  felt. 

In  the  mean  time  certain  Jews  arrived  from  Antioch  of 
Pisidia  and  from  Iconium  ;  they  had  been  commissioned 
by  the  synagogues  of  those  cities,  whose  hatred  had 
prompted  them  to  dog  the  footsteps  of  the  Apostles  in 
the  hope  of  raising  at  every  town  some  hindrance  to 
their  zealous  labors.  The  conspirators  found  a  favorable 
soil  to  work  upon  at  Lystra,  with  its  populace  now  un- 
settled in  mind  and  incensed  at  the  summary  rejection 
of  their  proffered  homage.  The  emissaries  found  it  an 
easy  task  to  persuade  these  peasants  that  the  wonders 
worked  by  the  strangers  were  nothing  but  impostures, 
their  teaching  so  lying  and  mischievous  that,  after  being 
disowned  by  their  fellow  countrymen  of  Antioch,  the 
vagabonds  had  barely  escaped  a  stoning  by  fleeing  from 


FIRST  MISSIONARY  WORK.  — GALATIA.  43 

Iconium.  So,  then,  these  two  were  simply  a  couple  of 
impious  charlatans  who  had  found  their  way  to  Lystra, 
—  a  pair  of  criminals,  fugitives  from  the  laws  of  their 
nation  !  The  fickle  mind  ^  of  this  populace  was  soon 
worked  up  to  a  high  pitch  of  wrath  :  they  fell  upon 
Paul,  stoning  him  in  the  very  streets  of  the  town  ;  then, 
believing  him  dead,  they  dragged  his  body  without  the 
walls. 

Despite  all  this,  the  Glad  Tidings  had  taken  root 
already  in  some  hearts,  and  the  courage  of  these  few  rose 
with  their  increasing  faith.  Though  no  efforts  of  theirs 
could  have  prevented  the  indignities  suffered  by  Paul,  at 
least  his  disciples  might  now  hasten  to  perform  the  last 
pious  duties  to  the  departed  one.  But  even  while  they 
stood  about  his  bleeding  body,  the  Apostle  returned  to 
consciousness  ;  he  rose  up,  assisted  by  the  loving  hands  of 
his  brethren,  and  with  them  re-entered  Lystra. 

Many  households  were  still  ready  and  eager  to  wel- 
come him;  very  probably  he  chose  the  one  wherein  a 
Jewish  woman,  named  Eunice,  dwelt  with  her  mother 
Lois,  and  her  young  son  Timothy.  The  Apostle's  preach- 
ing had  filled  this  whole  family  with  the  liveliest  faith  : 
none  of  his  abodes  in  these  parts  was  dearer  to  him  than 
their  home.  Here,  surrounded  by  every  loving  attention, 
cheered  and  comforted  by  the  devoted  affection  of  his 
disciples,  Paul  recovered  sufficient  strength  to  quit  Lystra 
the  next  day.  Eight  hours  of  foot  travel  brought  him  to 
Derbë,  a  small  hamlet  lying  farther  to  the  east,  near  the 
lake  of  Ak-Ghieul.  In  this  wholly  Pagan  country,  the 
Apostles  enjoyed  at  last  a  season  of  quiet  and  safety, 
for  the  Jews,  persuaded  doubtless  of  the  death  of  their 
enemy,  had  returned  without  more  thought  of  thwarting 
his  mission. 

Paul  and  Barnabas  made  use  of  this  liberty  to  re- 
double their  efforts.  They  made  many  disciples  at 
Derbë,  and  thus   laid   the    foundations    throughout   the 

1  The  Scholiast  of  the  Iliad  (iv.  88-92)  quotes  Aristotle  in  support  of 
his  assertion  that  the  Lycaouiaus  were  a  light-minded  folk.  Cicero  [Ep. 
ad  An.,  V.  21)  speaks  of  these  people  in  terms  of  deepest  disdain. 


44  SAINT  PAUL. 

principal  cities  of  Lycaonia  of  Christian  congregations 
composed  almost  entirely  of  Pagan  converts.  As  no  one 
of  these  little  Churches  could  be  regarded  as  the  Metropol- 
itan, as  was  Antioch  for  Syria,  Paul  fell  into  the  habit  of 
calling  these  faithful  flocks  "  the  Galatians,"  from  the 
name  of  the  Eoman  Province  to  which  they  belonged. 
All  these  regions  had  but  lately  been  made  a  part  of  the 
kingdom  of  Amyntas;i  at  his  death,  they  were  formed 
into  the  Province  of  Galatia,  which,  beside  "  the  Galatian 
country  "  ^  properly  so  called,  comprised  mountainous 
Phrygia,  Pisidia,  Lycaonia,  and  Isauria.^  This  territory, 
in  all  its  wide  extent  from  Antioch  of  Pisidia  to  Derbë, 
was,  then,  as  we  have  seen,  the  field  of  his  Apostolic 
labors  ;  consequently,  it  was  natural  for  Paul  to  use  the 
name  of  the  whole  Province,  when  speaking  of  the 
Churches  he  left  behind  him  there,  since  one  and  all 
were  called  into  being  at  the  same  period,  all  drawing  the 
breath  of  life  from  the  same  master  mind.* 

1  Twelve  Tetrarelis  governed  the  Galatians  at  first  ;  but  by  degrees 
their  number  diminished,  and  in  Pompey's  time  Dejotarus,  Tetrarch  of 
the  Tolistobii,  reigned  alone  over  this  whole  nation.  His  secretary, 
Amyntas,  who  succeeded  him,  was  the  last  king  of  this  country.  Ap- 
pianus,  Bel.  Civ.,  ii.  71  ;  Dio  Cassius,  xlix.  32;  1.  13;  li.  2;  Strabo,  xii.  v. 
4  ;  vi.  1-4  ;  vii.  3. 

2  Acts  xvi.  6. 

^  Strabo,  xii.  v.  1  ;  vi.  5  ;  vii.  3  ;  xiv.  v.  6  ;  xvii.  iii.  25  ;  Dio  Cassius, 
liii.  26;  Pliny,  Hist.  Ned.,  v.  23.  Pegarding  the  alteration  of  boundaries 
to  which  this  Province  was  subjected,  see  Marquardt,  Romische  Staats- 
verwaltung,  i.  ii.  358  ff.,  Galatia. 

*  The  opinion  of  certain  modern  scholars  (Mynster,  Niemeyer,  Thiersch, 
Hausrath,  etc.),  who  hold  that  the  Churches  of  Galatia  which  S.  Paul 
wrote  to  were  those  Christian  congregations  founded  by  him  during  his 
first  missionary  undertaking,  seems  so  reasonable  that  I  have  had  no  hes- 
itation in  adopting  it.  Indeed,  Avhen  the  Acts  are  compared  with  the 
Epistle  to  the  Gentiles,  it  appears  beyond  a  doubt  that  the  believers  to 
Avhom  this  letter  is  addressed  had  received  the  Faith  before  the  meeting 
at  Jerusalem  (Acts  xiii.,  xiv.  ;  Gal.  i.,  ii.).  Now  Paul  did  not  visit  "the 
Galatian  country,"  properly  so  called  (Acts  xvi.  6),  until  after  this 
gathering  of  the  Apostles,  that  is  to  say,  during  his  second  journey 
through  Asia  Minor.  Furthermore,  Barnabas,  whose  authority  over  these 
Christian  communities  is  plainly  alluded  to  (Gal.  ii.  1,  9,  13),  was  Paul's 
companion  in  this  first  mission  alone,  when  they  visited  Lycaonia;  in 
the  second  journey  he  was  not  with  the  Apostle.  Another  and  no  less 
decisive  consideration  is  that  the  tenor  of  tlie  Epistle  to  the  Galatians 
supposes  tlie  existence  of  very  intimate  ties,  and  consequently  of  a  long 
stay   among  the  people  to  whom  the  Apostle  is  speaking.     All  this  is 


FIRST  MISSIONARY  WORK.  — GALATIA.  45 

Paul  always  cherished  feelmgs  of  peculiar  tenderness 
for  these  Christians,  the  first  he  could  claim  as  his  very 
own,  the  first  to  whom  he  could  put  forth  his  doctrine 
in  its  purity  of  form,  unalloyed  by  any  admixture  of 
Judaism,  even  as  it  stands  to-day  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Galatians.  In  this  Gentile  land,  if  we  except  a  few  large 
towns  where  the  Jews  had  obtained  foothold,  Mosaism 
was  a  thing  unknown  ;  consequently  the  Apostle  could 
preach  the  Gospel  to  these  peoples  in  all  its  simplicity, 
"just  as  he  had  received  it 'from  the  Lord,  not  mingling 
with  it  aught  that  is  of  man."  ^  This  of  itself  w^as  a 
noteworthy  step  in  advance  ;  for  in  Palestine  —  even  in 
Syria  itself  —  Christianity  had  been  nourished  hitherto  in 
the  very  bosom  of  Israel,  and  consequently  Apostles,  dis- 
ciples, and  proselytes  alike  clung  to  the  external  forms 
of  Judaism.  But  in  Lycaonia  the  seed  of  Faith  had  been 
sown,  and  was  now  springing  up  in  virgin  soil.  Paul 
took  good  care  not  to  burden  the  heathen  he  converted 
with  the  yoke  of  Circumcision,  or  those  ''  Legal  Observ- 
ances "  which  he  deemed  alike  imperfect  and  unavail- 
ing,—  the  "carnal  ceremonies"  and  "the  festivals"  of  the 
Mosaic  ritual.^  Eegarding  the  Law  simply  as  embodying 
the  earliest  and  rudimentary  commandments  given  by 
God  to  earthly-minded  man,  he  set  it  aside  as  belonging 

explicable,  and  it  all  accords  with  the  narrative  in  the  Acts,  if  the  word 
Galatians  is  understood  as  referring  to  the  Christians  of  Pisidia  and 
Lycaonia  ;  on  the  contrary,  we  are  left  in  a  hopeless  «quandary  if  it  is 
taken  to  mean  Galatia  properly  so  called,  for  there  is  no  indication  that 
the  Apostle  exercised  his  ministry  there  for  any  length  of  time.  Twice 
he  traversed  this  region  (Acts  xvi.  6,  xviii.  3),  and  doubtless  he  founded 
Churches  there,  but  without  remaining  long.  The  communities  then 
established  in  "Phrygiaand  the  Galatian  country"  (Acts  xvi.  6)  formed 
together  with  those  of  Lycaonia  the  "Churches  of  Galatia"  (Gab  i.  2) 
to  which  the  Apostle  wrote  his  letter.  He  addressed  it  to  them  all  to- 
gether, but  destined  it  in  particular  for  those  congregations  founded  by 
him  during  his  first  mission  in  the  territory  about  Antioch  in  Pisidia, 
Iconium,  and  Derbë,  probably  because  there  the  Judaizers  were  doing  the 
most  damage.  In  Père  Cornely's  Introduction  to  the  New  Testament 
(pp.  415-422),  the  reader  Avill  find  the  whole  mass  of  proofs,  from  which 
I  have  been  able  to  quote  but  a  few  samples.  Cf.  Renan,  Saint  Paul, 
p.  51,  note  3. 

1  Gal.  i.  11,  12. 

2  Gal.  V.  1-6  ;  iv.  9  ;  vi.  12  ;  iv.  10. 


46  SAINT  PAUL. 

to  the  shadows  of  the  past,  only  to  set  forth  in  stronger 
light  the  promises  made  to  Abraham  and  now  fulfilled 
in  Jesus  Christ,  striving  solely  to  exalt  the  Salvation 
offered  to  humanity  through  faith  in  its  divine  Saviour.^ 
Through  this  Faith,  when  quickened  by  true  love  and 
holy  charity,  the  believing  soul,  throwing  itself  on  Christ, 
henceforth  lives  for  God  alone,  —  nay,  rather,  "  we  live 
no  more,  't  is  Jesus  liveth  in  iis."  ^  The  Christian  does 
indeed  become  "  a  new  creature,"  whose  breath  and  every 
action  are  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  bearing  the  fruits  of  God's 
Spirit,  which  are  "  charity,  joy,  peace,  fidelity,  kindness, 
goodness,  perseverance,  gentleness,  faith,  modesty,  con- 
tinence, chastity."  ^ 

Assuredly  it  must  have  been  no  light  task  for  Paul  to 
elevate  the  minds  of  these  half-civilized  mountaineers  he 
was  evangelizing  to  the  level  of  such  lofty  conceptions 
as  these.  It  was  the  outcome  of  a  long  and  toilsome 
education,  in  which  the  Apostle  expended  such  prodi- 
gious efforts  that  he  afterward  likened  this  season  of 
labor  to  the  anguish  of  a  woman  in  travail;^  but  he  was 
npheld  all  along  by  the  simple  and  affectionate  devotion 
of  the  good  people  he  had  come  to  teach.  These  proofs 
of  their  faithful  attachment  touched  his  heart  the  more 
because  during  this  period  of  his  mission  work  among 
them  he  was  a  prey  to  violent  attacks  of  that  malady 
to  which  he  was  subject,^  often  rendering  him  a  piti- 
able and  repulsive  object.  Paul  never  forgot  the  care 
and  respectful  love  then  shown  him  by  his  beloved 
Galatians. 

"  Well  do  you  know,"  he  wrote  them  some  years  later, 
"  that  whilst  I  was  preaching  the  Gospel  to  you  for  the 
first  time  it  was  amid  afflictions  of  the  flesh.  Yet  you 
neither  thought  little  of  me  nor  turned  from  me  in  dis- 
gust because  of  those  trials  I  was  suffering  in  my  body  ; 
rather,  you   received  me   as  an  Angel   of  God,   nay,  as 

1  Gal.  iv.  3  ;  iii.  5-9. 

2  Gal.  V.  6  ;  ii.  19,  20.  3  Qal.  vi.  15  ;  v.  18,  22,  23. 
4  Gal.  iv.  19. 

^  Concerning  the  nature  of  this  malady,  consult  Saint  Peter,  chap.  vii. 
p.  125. 


FIRST  MISSIONARY  WORK.  — G  AL  ATI  A.  47 

Jesus  Christ  Himself.  ...  I  am  your  witness  that,  had 
it  been  possible,  you  would  have  plucked  out  your  own 
eyes  and  given  them  to  me."  ^ 

This  testimony  to  their  exalted  generosity  would  alone 
show  to  what  heights  the  new  Faith  had  borne  the 
Christian  communities  of  Asia  Minor.  A  holy  joy  enrap- 
tured the  hearts  of  all,  now  overflowing  with  love  for 
the  Christ  ;  it  was  the  enthusiasm  of  captives  liberated 
from  the  darkness  of  their  dungeons  and  saluting  the 
first  rays  of  the  blessed  light  of  day.  "  How  happy  you 
were  !  "  ^  exclaims  the  Apostle,  recalling  those  sweet 
days. 

But  fellow  suffering  can  go  further  toward  knitting 
souls  into  one  than  any  common  joy  ;  and  the  remem- 
brance of  the  trials  they  had  undergone  together  was 
what  bound  Paul  by  the  closest  ties  to  his  faithful 
Galatian  friends.  In  after  days,  when  meditating  in  his 
prison  at  Rome  on  the  protracted  ordeals  of  his  career, 
his  mind  lingered  longest  over  "  the  persecutions  endured 
at  Antioch,  Iconium,  and  Lystra,"  while  he  reminds  his 
correspondent,  who  was  a  witness  of  these  afflictions, 
"  how  great  they  were,  and  how  the  Lord  delivered 
him  therefrom."^ 

This  active  mission  work  lasted  a  long  time,  —  several 
years,^  as  it  would  seem,  —  for  Paul  had  not  as  yet  that 
"  solicitude  for  all  the  Churches  "  ^  which  was  soon  to 
make  his  life  one  round  of  travels  as  rapid  as  they  were 
unceasing.  Out  of  the  great  world  of  uncircumcised 
humanity  which  was  to  be  his  own  domain,  as  yet  he 
had  only  these  little  Christian  gatherings  of  Asia  in 
view  ;  he  could  not  bear  to  part  with  them  for  many  a 
long  day,  knowing  the  weakness  of  his  new  converts,  — 
"these  little  children,"^  as  he  was  fond  of  calling  them, — 
anxious  as  he  was  to  "  finish  the  forming  of  Christ  in 
them  "  ''   before  going  away.     This  solicitude  was  what 

1  Gal.  iv.  14,  15.  2  Gal.  iv.  15. 

3  2  Tim.  iii.  10,  11. 

*  Four  or  five  years,  in  the  system  of  chronology  adopted  in  this 
work,  —  from  45  to  50. 

5  2  Cor.  xi.  28.  ^  Gal.  iv.  19.  '  ibid. 


48  SAINT  PAUL. 

moved  the  two  Apostles  to  retrace  the  same  route  they 
had  already  travelled.  Once  more  they  passed  through 
Lystra,  Iconium,  Antioch  of  Pisidia,  no  longer,  doubtless, 
preaching  publicly  and  braving  the  terrors  of  the  Syn- 
agogue, as  on  their  former  visit  ;  for  this  the  Jews, 
whose  power  was  most  to  be  dreaded,  would  never  have 
tolerated.  Calmly  and  quietly,  however,  and  with  no 
outward  demonstrations,  they  went  about  visiting  these 
Churches,  "  fortifying  the  souls  of  the  disciples,  urging 
them  to  persevere  in  the  Faith,  reminding  them  that  only 
through  much  tribulation  can  man  enter  into  the  King- 
dom of  God."  1 

It  was  out  of  the  question  to  leave  these  congregations, 
now  numbering  many  souls,  without  establishing  some 
form  of  government;  so  from  each  body  the  Apostles 
chose  certain  Elders,  then,  afcer  enjoining  a  season  of 
fasting  and  prayer,  they  laid  their  hands  upon  them 
and  bestowed  on  the  newly  ordained,  together  with  this 
sacerdotal  consecration,^  the  chargée  of  exercisin<x  author- 
ity  over  the  flock  in  their  name.  Fears  for  the  steadfast- 
ness of  these  Churches,  isolated  in  the  heart  of  Asia,  could 
not  but  inspire  uneasiness  in  the  mind  of  their  founder; 
when  bidding  them  a  final  God  speed,  the  Apostles  "  com- 
mended them  to  the  Lord,  in  Whom  they  believed."  ^ 

With  every  mile  that  brought  the  missionaries  nearer 
to  the  point  where  their  work  had  begun,  their  hearts  were 
filled  with  a  keener  hunger  for  a  sight  of  the  brethren 
in  Syria  who  had  sent  them  forth.  By  the  time  they 
reached  Pamphylia,  this  longing  had  settled  into  a  firm 
purpose  ;  so,  once  more  crossing  the  perilous  passes  of 
Taurus,  they  made  good  their  descent  into  Pamphylia. 
Perga,  which  they  had  only  passed  through  on  their  first 
landing,  this  time  harbored  them  for  some  days.  In  the 
healthy  season  it  was  a  populous  city,  the  second  in  the 

1  Actsxiv.  21. 

2  "  Cum  x^^P'^'^^^'-"-^  hanc  comitarentur  jejunium  et  preces,  dubitare 
non  possumus,  si  ad  locum  parallelum  (xiii.2)  attendimus,  quin  x^^porovla, 
quœ  hic  dicitur,  sumenda  sit  de  consecratrice  manuum  impositione,  hoc  est 
de  sacra  ordinatione."     Beelen,  Com.  in  Acta,  in  loco. 

2  Acts  xiv.  22. 


FIRST  MISSIONARY  WORK.  — GALATIA.  49 

Province.^  Its  citizens,  for  the  most  part  of  Grecian 
extraction,  had  beautified  their  town  with  monuments, 
colonnades,  theatres,  stadia  for  the  public  contests  or 
races,  and  a  goodly  array  of  temples.^  Bat  the  great 
attraction  of  Perga  was  the  sanctuary  of  Diana,  which 
towered  over  the  whole  town.  Every  year  there  were 
festivals  celebrated  in  honor  of  the  goddess,  attracting 
a  concourse  of  visitors  to  her  shrine.^  Even  outside  these 
seasons  of  high  solemnity,  the  frequent  processions  and 
the  presence  of  pilgrim  bands  about  the  holy  spot  kept 
alive  sentiments  of  religion  and  awe  of  the  supernatural 
in  the  popular  mind.  Paul  profited  by  all  these  circum- 
stances, making  them  subserve  his  preaching  of  the  Glad 
Tidings,  and  here  again  he  won  his  cause.  It  was  to  be 
the  last  station  where  the  Apostles  stayed  to  preach  the 
Word.  A  journey  of  only  five  hours  by  foot  separated 
them  from  Attalia.*  They  set  out  for  this  seaport,  the 
most  frequented  harbor  on  the  Pamphylian  coast,  well 
assured  of  finding  some  vessel  about  to  set  sail.  The  two 
embarked  on  a  ship  bound  for  Seleucia,  and  thence  soon 
made  good  their  return  to  Antioch,  where  the  brethren 
"  had  committed  them  to  God's  grace  for  the  work  which 
they  had  just  accomplished."^ 

1  Side  was  the  first,  Aspendus  the  third.  (Marquardt,  Romische  Staats- 
verwaltung,  ii.  378.)  Although  Lycia  and  Pamphylia  had  been  reunited 
by  Claudius  (43)  into  a  single  Roman  Province  (Suetonius,  Claudius,  25; 
Dio  Cassius,  Ix.  17),  eacli  of  these  regions,  while  under  the  rule  of  the 
same  governor,  formed  a  distinct  national  body. 

-  To-day  only  the  ruins  of  these  monuments  are  visible  ;  some  of  them, 
however,  are  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation,  especially  the  stadium  and 
the  theatre,  Avhich  is  the  most  noteworthy,  after  the  one  in  Aspendus,  of 
all  now  to  be  found  in  Asia  Minor. 

3  Strabo,  xiv,  iv.  1  ;  Mela,  i.  14  ;  Cicero,  In  Verr.,  2^  Act.  i.  20. 

^  This  town  owes  its  name  to  Attains,  King  of  Pergamos,  whose  do- 
mains extended  from  the  Hellespont  as  far  as  these  southern  coasts. 
Finding  that  this  was  a  spot  well  adapted  for  the  control  of  all  commerce 
between  Syria  and  Egypt,  he  made  it  a  port  of  entry,  improving  it  in 
many  ways,  and  fortifying  it  Avith  ramparts  (Strabo,  xiv.  iv.  1).  Both 
to  right  and  left,  the  shores,  with  their  rugged  cliffs,  completely  conceal 
not  merely  the  plain  through  which  the  Catarrhactes  flows,  situated  be- 
hind the  town,  but  even  the  mountains  as  well,  which  rise  along  the  hori- 
zon. The  town  of  Adalia,  which  retains  the  name  and  site  of  ancient 
Attalia  to  this  day,  is  a  much  frequented  seaport. 

^  Acts  xiv.  26. 


50  SAINT  PAUL. 

For  the  length  of  time  this  mission  lasted,  the  terri- 
tory covered  had  been  a  limited  one  indeed.  Cyprus 
cannot  properly  be  taken  into  account,  since  during  their 
stay  in  the  island  the  Apostles  had  been  but  feeling  their 
way,  so  to  speak,  —  going  from  synagogue  to  synagogue, 
without  making  any  advances  toward  the  Gentile  world. 
Paul's  work  does  not  really  begin  till  he  reaches  Antioch 
of  Pisidia.  From  this  point  as  far  as  Derbë,  the  last 
town  mentioned  in  the  Acts,  is  a  distance  of  some  ten 
days  when  travelling  on  foot.^  The  Apostle  was  con- 
strained by  the  difficulties  of  his  enterprise  to  remain 
hemmed  within  these  narrow  bounds.  Heretofore,  we 
should  remember,  the  preachers  of  the  Gospel,  taking 
example  by  the  Jewish  missionaries,  had  repaired  to 
those  regions  alone  where  they  would  be  well  received 
by  a  colony  of  compatriots  ready  to  furnish  them  with 
food  and  shelter.  But  Paul,  once  resolved  to  free  himself 
from  the  bondage  of  Israel,  had  made  up  his  mind  not  to 
be  their  debtor  in  any  way.  As  for  his  daily  bread,  he 
proposed  to  earn  it  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow;  so,  like 
any  other  day  laborers,  he  and  Barnabas  wandered  from 
one  village  to  another  looking  for  work,  and  tarrying  for 
a  longer  or  shorter  while  according  to  the  state  of  the 
public  mind  and  the  chances  of  finding  occupation.  Even 
in  the  best  disposed  localities,  it  took  some  time  for  utter 
strangers  to  win  the  confidence  of  the  people  and  get  a 
hearing.  Still  more  time  was  needed  to  initiate  them  in 
the  Christian  life  ;  for  Grace,  all-bountiful  as  it  was,  did 
not  instantly  transform  these  rude  natures,  but  worked 
within  them  little  by  little. 

Obstacles  like  these,  a  countless  host  forever  spring- 
ing up  to  life  when  he  thought  them  quite  exterminated, 
all  these  disappointments  and  hardships  of  daily  and 
hourly  occurrence,  compelled  the  Apostle  to  discipline 

1  Lewin  {Life  of  S.  Paul,  pp.  145,  148,  151)  reckons  that  it  is  sixty 
English  miles  from  Antioch  in  Pisidia  to  Iconium,  forty  from  Iconium  to 
Lystra,  twenty  from  Lystra  to  Derbë,  —  in  all,  less  than  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles.  Twenty  miles  or  thereabouts  was  considered  a  day's  journey 
for  travellers  in  ancient  times.  (Procopius,  De  Reb.  Vandal,  i.  1  ;  Livy, 
xxi.  27  ;  Polybius,  iii.  42,  etc.)  But  it  is  hardly  likely  that  poor  work- 
ingmen  wandering  on  foot,  as  were  the  Apostles,  ever  made  more  than 
fifteen  miles  a  day. 


FIRST  MISSIONARY  WORK.  — GALATIA.  51 

his  natural  impetuosity,  keeping  it  under  the  control  of 
a  patience  which  must  needs  be  ever  on  the  alert,  and 
ready  for  all  emergencies.  For  many  years,  though  tram- 
melled and  hindered  in  his  plans  by  persecutions,  by  his 
own  ill  health,  and  all  the  worriments  of  a  workingman's 
life,  he  never  lost  sight  of  this,  his  foremost  end  in  view, 
—  the  founding  of  certain  fixed  centres  of  Christianity  in 
the  midst  of  Heathendom.  Up  to  this  time  the  uncir- 
cumcised  had  entered  the  Church  one  by  one.  Once 
admitted  to  fellowship,  their  identity  was  lost  in  the 
mass  of  baptized  Jews,  —  very  often,  indeed,  they  adopted 
all  their  rules,  customs,  and  observances.  Even  then  the 
Judaizers  looked  upon  their  example  as  a  regrettable  ex- 
ception, a  provisory  derogation  of  that  unalterable  first 
principle,  —  "  No  one  shall  have  access  to  the  Christ  save 
through  the  portals  of  Mosaism."  The  surest  way  to  put 
an  end  to  all  such  quibbling  half-measures  was  to  create 
forthwith  Churches  of  the  Gentiles.  Paul  realized  this 
from  the  first,  and  had  lost  no  time  in  affirming  that  he 
was  commissioned  to  do  this  work.  Nevertheless,  eager  as 
he  might  be  to  strike  the  blow,  prudence  bade  him  move 
slowly  if  he  would  make  the  high  mark  he  was  aiming  at  ; 
hence  he  applied  himself  to  the  work  of  rendering  these 
Christian  congregations  of  Asia  Minor  so  numerous,  so 
virile,  so  prompt  to  run  in  the  ways  of  God,^  that,  even 
though  his  work  should  seem  to  Israel  something  alto- 
gether novel  and  shocking,  the  Christ  should  shine  forth 
therein  in  such  surpassing  glory  that  the  most  hard-hearted 
and  stiff-necked  bigot  would  be  forced  to  bend  before  His 
Presence  in  reverence  and  awe. 

And  success  had  come  in  the  measure  of  his  mighty 
efforts.  When,  upon  the  two  Apostles'  return  to  Antioch, 
''  they  had  convoked  a  gathering  of  the  brethren,  and  laid 
before  them  all  that  God  had  done  through  them,"^  Paul, 
summing  up  in  a  word  the  outcome  of  their  mission 
work,  boldly  published  abroad  the  change  which  had  now 
done  its  work  within  the  Church,  —  "  God  hath  opened 
unto  the  Gentiles  the  gate  of  Faith."  ^ 

1  Gal.  V.  7.  2  Acts  xiv.  27.  3  ibid. 


CHAPTEE  III. 

THE  ASSEMBLY  OF  JERUSALEM. 

The  years  which  Paul  and  Barnabas  had  just  passed 
in  Galatia  had  been  an  uninterrupted  course  of  suffering 
and  toil.  At  Antioch  they  could  again  enjoy  a  period  of 
refreshing  calm,  while  every  facility  was  offered  them  to 
pursue  the  undertaking  begun  among  the  Pagans  of  Pi- 
sidia  and  Lycaonia,  —  the  loosening  of  the  shackles  of 
Mosaism.  Syria  proved  to  be  an  even  more  propitious 
soil  than  Asia  Minor  for  fostering  the  first  fruits  of  the 
world-wide  Eevelation.  We  have  seen  how,  from  the  out- 
set, "the  Lord  Jesus  had  been  proclaimed  unto  the  Greeks,"  ^ 
and  the  Israelites  of  these  parts  had  not,  like  the  Jews 
of  Antioch  of  Pisidia  and  Iconium,  risen  in  arms  against 
the  free  preaching  of  the  Gospel  ;  from  the  first,  the  Syrian 
Jews  who  became  converted  had  lived  in  perfect  har- 
mony with  the  baptized  Gentiles,  respecting  their  ideas 
and  customs.  This  wide  divergence  in  the  line  of  con- 
duct adopted  by  men  of  the  same  race  and  faith  may  well 
seem  surprising.  It  behooves  us,  therefore,  to  make  some 
inquiry  into  the  reason  of  the  phenomenon  ;  for  it  will 
be  constantly  forcing  itself  on  our  notice  in  the  course  of 
this  narrative,  and  may  tend  to  give  it  an  appearance  of 
unreality  and  perpetual  contradiction.  We  cannot  get 
to  the  root  of  the  apparent  difficulty  more  quickly  than 
by  recalling  to  mind  what  has  been  said  elsewhere  of  the 
Hebrews  scattered  through  foreign  parts.^ 

Exclusive  and  fanatical  as  were  the  Israelites  when 
living   a   lonely  existence   amid   half-barbarous   peoples 

1  Acts  xi.  20. 

2  Saint  Peter  and  the  First  Years  of  Christianity,  chap.  iii. 


THE  ASSEMBLY  OF  JERUSALEM.  53 

dominated  by  Hebrew  superiority,  these  same  sons  of 
Israel  became  yielding,  complaisant,  even  keen  in  their 
relish  of  novelties,  whenever  they  were  introduced  into 
a  polished  and  cultivated  society,  or  among  men  whose 
learning  demanded  their  respect.  In  the  old  days,  Nine- 
veh and  Babylon  exercised  this  fascination  over  the 
Jewish  character  ;  Kome,  Alexandria,  and  Antioch  were 
swaying  them  by  the  same  influences  at  the  period  we 
are  concerned  with.  The  Israelites  of  these  great  cities, 
wherein  the  wisdom  of  antiquity  burned  at  its  brightest, 
by  this  new  radiance  beheld  their  Law  in  its  true  light,  — 
everlasting,  unalterable,  overtopping  all  else  by  reason  of 
the  sublime  truths  and  pure  morality  it  inculcates,  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  less  and  less  indispensable  when  con- 
sidered in  the  light  of  its  minute  prescriptions,  which 
regulated  every  action  of  man's  life,  as  well  as  the  wor- 
ship of  God.  This  distinction  between  what  was  neces- 
sary and  what  of  purely  local  value  struck  all  Hebrews 
of  unprejudiced  minds  most  forcibly,  and  left  a  deep 
impression  alike  on  the  Jews  of  the  Dispersion  and  on 
the  Pagans  among  whom  they  lived.  The  very  reverse 
is  true  of  the  Doctors  of  Jerusalem,  who  let  these  con- 
siderations escape  them  by  persistently  turning  away 
their  eyes  from  the  noble  teachings  of  their  Law,  and 
frittering  away  their  genius  in  devising  ways  to  multiply 
puerile  practices. 

There  were,  therefore,  two  currents  of  national  ten- 
dency which  were  just  now  carrying  the  children  of 
Israel  very  widely  apart.  In  Judea  the  juridical  spirit 
prevailed.  The  Books  of  Moses,  and  of  these  Books  the 
legislative  portions,  were  the  principal  study  ;  the  com- 
plicated ritual  of  ceremonies,  sacrifices,  expiations,  and 
all  the  most  trivial  observances,  went  to  make  up  the 
matter  of  their  lengthy  commentaries,  and  discussions 
often  spun  out  to  infinitesimal  thinness.  Generally 
speaking,  this  was  the  sum  total  of  the  instructions  in 
Jewish  schools,  —  a  doctrine  devised  by  a  race  of  com- 
pilers, lawyers,  and  casuists,  tedious  and  dry  as  dust. 

The  Law  —  the  Law  of  Moses,  Prophet  of  God  —  was 


54  SAINT  PAUL. 

viewed  in  a  far  different  light  by  the  Jews  of  the  Dis- 
persion. Its  dogmas  and  its  precepts  of  morality  espe- 
cially, which  were  the  sole  theme  of  their  studies,  seemed 
to  stretch  before  their  eyes  as  a  spacious  highway,  whereon 
all  were  free  to  run  unhindered,  with  uplifted  hearts.^  . 
These  broader  views  had  the  twofold  effect  of  predisposing 
many  among  them  in  favor  of  the  New  Faith,  and  of 
attaching  others  still  more  closely  to  Mosaism  thus  puri- 
fied of  its  dross  :  this  fact  is  enough  to  account  for  the 
division  of  feeling  shown  at  Antioch  of  Pisidia  and  at 
Iconium,  —  a  diversity  which  we  shall  encounter  in  other 
synagogues  which  Paul  is  to  visit.  In  this  dismember- 
ment of  Judaism  the  great  triumph  of  the  Apostle  lies 
in  this,  that  everywhere  the  flower  of  Israel  took  sides 
with  him.  The  causes  which  combined  in  every  place  to 
win  him  these  inestimable  advantages  are  too  important 
to  the  right  understanding  of  his  history  to  be  passed 
over  without  an  attempt  to  explain  them  in  some  detail. 

To  the  preachers  of  the  Law — so  dissimilar,  as  we  have 
seen,  when  abroad  to  what  they  were  in  Jerusalem  —  be- 
longed the  principal  part  in  the  preparation  of  men's  souls 
for  Christianity.  The  Scribes,  whose  only  care  was  for  sa- 
cred studies,  reserved  for  themselves  the  right  of  instruct- 
ing the  children  of  Israel  in  Judea  ;  in  the  Gentile  world, 
on  the  contrary,  the  Jewish  communities  could  boast  of 
no  preachers  save  such  of  their  own  number  as  were 
qualified  by  a  more  earnest  piety,  advanced  age,  or  gifts 
of  eloquence  for  this  important  function.  Neither  early 
training,  nor  proof  of  acquired  knowledge,  nor  any  con- 
secration, was  required  of  them  ;  ^  all  that  was  necessary 
was  to  satisfy  the  congregation.^    Usually,  without  doubt, 

1  Ps.  cxviii.  32. 

■^  The  only  restrictions  mentioned  in  the  Talmud  are  that  no  Israelite 
under  thirteen  years  of  age,  nor  any  one  in  torn  garments,  should  officiate 
before  the  ark.     Mishna  Magilla,  iv.  6  ;  Mishna  Barachoth,  v.  3. 

^  "  Even  though  some  Elder,"  the  Talmud  says,  "  or  some  wise  man 
chance  to  be  present  in  the  congregation,  there  is  no  obligation  to  intrust 
the  fulfilment  of  the  sacred  service  to  him.  Let  the  man  most  fitting  for 
this  office  be  chosen,  a  man  who  has  children,  an  unblemished  family,  a 
goodly  beard,  decent  garments,  and  a  pleasing  voice,  —  one  who  under- 
stands how  to  read  the  Law,  the  Prophets,  and  the  Hagiographies,  and 


THE  ASSEMBLY  OF  JERUSALEM.  55 

the  member  selected  for  this  high  office  was  taken  from 
among  the  headmen  and  councillors  of  the  synagogue, 
"  the  men  of  leisure,"  ^  as  they  were  styled,  whose  large 
fortunes  allowed  them  to  lead  a  life  untroubled  by  tem- 
poral cares  ;  but  in  the  Ghettos  such  leisure  hours  were 
few  and  far  between,  since  then  as  nowadays  the  true  son 
of  Israel  did  not  pass  his  time  in  speculative  studies  ;  he 
was  a  merchant,  a  banker,  or  a  follower  of  some  lucrative 
trade.  When  Sabbath  came  round  and  this  populace  of 
brokers  and  shopkeepers  gathered  together  in  the  sanc- 
tuary, it  was  usually  one  of  their  own  number  who  for 
the  nonce  assumed  the  part  of  preacher  and  prayed  in 
the  name  of  the  rest;  once  the  service  was  over,  he 
returned  to  his  desk  or  counter,  as  naturally  as  to-day 
the  rich  tradesman  of  Cairo  belonging  to  the  sect  of 
Dancing  Dervishes  lays  aside  his  white  robe  once  he 
has  finished  his  turn,  and  with  stately  step  re-enters  his 
bazaar. 

Such  teachers  as  these  were  incapable  of  profound 
commentaries,  juridical  discussions,  and  all  the  appanage 
of  learning  for  which  the  Doctors  of  Jerusalem  were 
famed.  They  seized  on  what  was  perspicuous  and  strik- 
ing in  their  sacred  literature,  preferring  the  Prophets 
over  all  the  rest,  their  richly  figured  style,  fierce  in- 
vectives, and  wondrous  promises  providing  matter  for 
purposes  of  popular  eloquence  that  was  inexhaustible 
indeed,  but  in  a  far  different  sense  from  the  interminable 
code  of  Judaic  laws.  This  kind  of  instruction,  limited 
in  scope  to  the  great  religious  and  moral  truths,  was 
entirely  to  the  taste  of  a  people  as  little  versed  in  juridi- 
cal subtilties  as  were  its  teachers.  Thus  it  came  about 
that,  by  degrees,  the  latter  as  well  as  the  former  gave 

who  knows  how  to  interpret  them  as  well  as  the  benedictions  in  the  ser- 
vice." Mishna  Taanith,  ii.  2  ;  Mairaonides,  Jad  Ha  Chezaka  Hilcolh 
Tephila,  viii.  11,  12. 

1  The  ten  Batlanim,  without  whom  a  synagogue  had  no  lawful  exist- 
ence. Megilla,  i.  3;  Maimonides,  Jad  Ha  Chezaka  Hilcoth  Tephila,  xi.  1. 
Herzfeld  identifies  these  ten  persons  of  distinction  with  the  ten  chiefs 
or  judges  of  the  Jewish  communities  of  whom  mention  is  made  in  Aboth, 
iii.  10  {Geschichte  des  Volkes  Israel,  i.  392). 


56  SAINT  PAUL. 

only  a  superficial  study  to  a  law  so  complicated  and 
beset  with  diffculties  as  often  to  be  impracticable  in  a 
foreign  land.  It  was  still  read  out  of  respect;  it  was 
rarely  or  never  treated  of  from  the  pulpit.  From  indif- 
ference to  forgetfulness,  and  finally  to  feelings  of  disdain, 
the  descent  is  swift  :  very  many  preachers  were  the  first 
to  cross  the  line,^  and  the  multitude,  gladly  following 
them,  grew  more  and  more  disposed  to  disregard  the  code 
of  Observances. 

Another  fertile  cause  of  this  growing  laxity  was  the 
fashion,  brought  into  vogue  by  the  Egyptian  Jews,  of 
turning  all  religion  into  allegory.  From  Alexandria  the 
movement  had  spread  to  the  Jewish  communities  in  the 
Eoman  world,  causing  a  greater  or  less  sensation  among 
them  according  to  their  intellectual  culture.  Every- 
where that  this  tendency  got  the  upper  hand,  nothing 
was  to  be  considered,  nothing  was  to  be  looked  for  in  the 
labyrinth  of  laws  and  ceremonies,  except  the  hidden  truth 
whereof  they  were  regarded  as  mystical  symbols.  Eeli- 
gious  practices,  therefore,  became  the  mere  accessories  of 
Judaism,  while  the  great  object  was  to  discern,  if  possible, 
the  kernel  of  meaning  contained  within  this  shell. 

Furthermore,  this  relinquishment  of  traditional  forms 
was  of  unavoidable  necessity  so  far  as  concerned  the  cere- 
monies of  worship,  since  most  of  the  legal  sacrifices  could 
not  be  offered  outside  the  Temple  of  Jerusalem.  But 
every  day  saw  this  list  of  exceptions  lengthened,  till  they 

1  The  passages  in  which  the  Prophets  condemned  the  mere  outward 
fulfilment  of  ceremonies,  without  either  faith  or  a  penitent  heart,  might 
pass  for  a  decrial  of  all  such  Observances.  "  What  doth  the  multitude  of 
your  victims  profit  Me  ?  saith  the  Eternal  :  I  am  wearied  of  holocausts 
and  rams  and  fatlings  ;  I  take  no  pleasure  in  the  blood  of  bulls  and  lambs 
and  he-goats.  .  .  .  Bring  Me  no  more  vain  offerings  ;  incense  is  an  abomi- 
nation unto  Me,  as  well  as  the  new  moon  and  the  Sabbaths  and  the 
gathering  of  assemblies  ;  wickedness  joined  with  solemn  festivals  I  Avill 
not  abide.  My  soul  hateth  your  new  moons  and  your  assemblies  ;  I  am 
tired  of  enduring  them."  Is.  i.  11-14.  Cf.  Is.  Iviii.  5-7,  and  Jer. 
vi.  20.  The  language  used  by  Amos  (v.  21-28)  is  no  less  vehement: 
"  I  hate,  I  scorn  your  feasts,  and  I  cannot  abide  your  assemblies.  In  vain 
do  you  offer  Me  holocausts  and  your  offerings  of  cakes,  I  will  not  receive 
them  ;  even  though  you  shall  offer  Me  the  fattest  sacrifices  to  fulfil  your 
vows,  I  will  not  deign  to  look  upon  them.  Take  away  from  Me  the  noise 
of  your  songs  ;  I  will  not  hearken  to  the  music  of  your  lutes." 


THE  ASSEMBLY  OF  JERUSALEM.  57 

were  made  to  cover  all  those  prescriptions  of  the  -Law 
which  tended  to  divide  Israel  from  the  Heathen  world. 
Such  barriers  to  intercourse,  albeit  bearable  in  Judea, 
where  they  were  only  an  occasional  embarrassment  in 
the  people's  social  life,  here  in  foreign  parts  acted  as  a 
constant  source  of  annoyance.  Unless  the  Jew  was  con- 
tent to  spend  his  whole  existence  in  purifying  himself, 
he  had  to  omit  all  those  ablutions  which  the  Law  pre- 
scribed for  every  occasion  when  he  chanced  to  come  in 
remotest  contact  with  profane  objects.  The  same  diffi- 
culty was  of  daily  experience  in  their  relations  with 
Gentiles;  far  from  renouncing  such  intercourse  on  this 
account,  they  were  bent  on  improving  every  such  oppor- 
tunity ;  for  it  was  in  order  to  take  part  in  the  world's 
commerce  that  Israel  had  established  its  outposts  in 
every  corner  of  the  Eoman  Empire.  The  strict  observ- 
ance of  the  Law  was  accordingly  confined  to  certain 
points  of  more  manifest  importance  :  circumcision,  pro- 
hibition of  marriages  between  Jews  and  Heathens,  and 
the  distinction  between  forbidden  and  lawful  meats. 

But  even  when  reduced  to  this  minimum,  Mosaism 
engendered  ceaseless  scruples  in  the  souls  of  believers 
living  among  Gentile  neighbors.  If  it  was  compara- 
tively easy  to  avoid  contracting  illegal  marriage  ties, 
how  was  one,  in  very  many  cases,  to  keep  from  eating 
unclean  food  ?  Beside  the  animals  and  fish  explicitly 
declared  to  be  illegal,  there  were  certain  fatty  portions 
of  every  beast,^  as  well  as  all  food  or  liquid  left  un- 
covered by  negligence  in  the  dwelling  of  a  dying  per- 
son, which,  also,  they  were  forbidden  to  touch  ;  ^  the 
same  injunction  applied  to  the  flesh  of  a  kid  cooked  in 
the  milk  or  fat  of  its  mother.^  Yet  again,  it  was  a 
common  custom  among  Pagans  to  dispose  of  what  re- 
mained from  their  idolatrous  sacrifices  to  the  public 
sellers  in  the  markets.  How  was  a  Jew  to  sit  down  to 
table  with  people  who  not  merely  treated  his  religious 
obligations  as  of  no   moment  whatever,   but  were  quite 

1  Exod.  xxix.  13-22  ;  Lev.  iii.  4-10;  ix.  19.  2  ^^^,  xix.  15. 

3  Exod.  xxiii.  19;  xxxiv.  26;  Deut.  xiv.  21. 


58  SAINT  PAUL. 

indifferent  as  to  whether  or  not  the  viands  set  before 
him  had  been  purchased  from  the  stock  of  sacrilegious 
offerings  ?  Of  course,  we  must  suppose  that  the  Israel- 
ites of  the  Dispersion  acted  as  diversely  as  do  their 
descendants  of  our  day.  Here  were  to  be  found  families 
of  rigorous  principles  making  use  of  no  meat  but  that  of 
beasts  which  had  been  selected  and  bled  by  their  own 
Mohel  ;  elsewhere  were  to  be  met  Jews  equally  faithful 
to  Jehovah,  yet  limiting  wellnigh  their  whole  worship  to 
this  simple  faith,  and  mingling  freely  with  unbelievers. 
In  this  evolution  of  religious  sentiment  and  practice,  the 
sacred  sign  of  Circumcision  was  the  last  to  lose  gradually 
its  ancient  prestige.  The  Pagans  were  never  tired  of 
ridiculing  their  race  for  it,  thus  making  it  irksome  for 
Jews  to  frequent  the  baths  and  gymnasia.  Many  among 
them  were  ashamed  of  the  fact,  and  did  their  best  to  dis- 
guise this  very  mark  which  Israel  at  all  times  had  pro- 
claimed to  be  the  glorious  seal  of  God's  Covenant  with 
His  chosen  people.^ 

When  we  see  the  Jews  themselves  acting  after  this 
fashion,  it  is  not  hard  to  understand  why  the  Pagan 
proselytes  showed  so  little  zeal  for  Circumcision  ;  almost 
all  refrained  from  the  practice  of  it,  with  the  tacit  ap- 
proval of  the  average  Israelites  ;  sometimes,  in  fact, 
dissuaded  by  them  from  submitting  to  the  bloody  rite. 
This  was  the  case  with  the  princes  of  Adiabenë,  whose 
initiation  into  Mosaism  is  related  by  Josephus.  Ananias, 
the  Jewish  merchant  who  converted  them,  taught  King 
Izates  "  to  venerate  God  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
Israelites,"  but  he  did  his  best  to  deter  him  from  being 
circumcised,  —  an  act  which  he  esteemed  as  quite  as  use- 
less in  itself  as  it  would  be  dangerous  to  the  authority  of 
his  royal  neophyte  ;  ^  this  was  but  the  application  of 
doctrines  taught  in  the  school  of  Hillel,  where  illustrious 
doctors  contended  that  a  simple  ablution  sufficed  to  in- 
troduce the  proselyte  among  the  number  of  Abraham's 

1  1  Mac.  i.  16;  Celsus,  De  Medic,  vii.  25;  Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud.,  xii. 
V.  1  ;  Martial,  vii.  29,  5. 

'•2  Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud.,  xx.  ii,  4,  .5.     Cf.  Saint  Peter,  chap.  x.  p.  184. 


THE  ASSEMBLY  OF  JERUSALEM.  59 

seed  ;  ^  the  purification  of  the  heart  symbolized  by  this 
baptism  was  to  their  thinking  the  sum  and  essence  of 
true  Mosaism. 

The  Masters  of  Jerusalem  were  well  aware  how  far 
this  current  had  carried  the  scattered  children  of  Israel  ; 
accordingly,  they  spared  no  efforts  to  fortify  the  ramparts 
of  belief  :  in  the  Holy  Land  itself,  by  multiplying  rules 
and  precepts,  building  up  "hedge  upon  hedge "^  about 
their  threatened  Orthodoxy  ;  while  to  foreign  parts  bands 
of  zealots  were  despatched,  who  "  coursed  over  lands  and 
seas  "  ^  with  urgent  commission  to  put  an  end  to  the  dis- 
order, to  spur  up  the  weak-spirited  communities,  and 
marshal  them  in  the  ranks  of  the  strictest  observers  of 
their  Law.  Undoubtedly  it  was  one  of  these  emissaries 
of  their  Sanhédrin  who  found  his  way  into  Adiabenë 
about  the  time  when  Ananias  worked  the  conversion  of 
the  rulers  of  that  kingdom.  Kegarding  the  Jewish  mer- 
chant as  an  adventurer  in  the  rôle  of  a  missionary,  the 
envoy  set  to  work  to  counteract  his  lax  doctrines,  giving 
himself  no  rest  until  he  had  persuaded  King  Izates  to  be 
circumcised.*  Nothing,  it  is  true,  was  of  higher  import 
than  this  precept  in  the  opinion  of  these  zealots  ;  they 
prized  it  over  all  others  taken  together,^  holding  it  up  as 
the  one  main  point,  the  very  sum  total  of  the  Law.  Some 
rose  to  a  pitch  of  fanaticism  on  this  point  never  surpassed 
in  the  history  of  Islam.  "  The  good  monarch,"  says  the 
Pseudo  Baruch,  "is  he  who  will  let  no  uncircumcised 
man  live  on  the  face  of  the  earth."  ^ 

These  teachings,  which  were  still  powerful  enough  to 
sway  remote  Jewish  communities  uninfluenced  by  the 
refined  world,  no  longer  received  any  credence  in  regions 
where  Israel  was  in  touch  with  the  civilization  of  Greece 
and  Rome,  as  at  Alexandria  and  Antioch.  In  the  last 
named  city  especially,  the  Jews  had  long  since  thrown 
off  the  fetters  of  Pharisaism.  Witness  their  eagerness  to 
welcome  the  Gospel,  and  communicate  it  to  the  Pagans, 

1  Jehamot,  46  a.  *  Josephus,  Antîq.  Jud.,  xx.  ii.  5. 

2  Ahot.,  i.  1.  6  Nedarim,  f.  32,  1. 

8  Matt,  xxiii.  15.  «  Pseudo  Baruch,  561,  66. 


60  SAINT  PAUL. 

who  were  their  neighbors.^  As  Christian  converts  they 
made  a  still  bolder  profession  of  their  belief  by  approving 
the  mission  of  Paul.^  Far  from  taking  offence  at  the 
reports  of  the  number  of  Gentile  Churches  founded  by 
the  Apostle  of  the  Nations,  they  regarded  this  as  the 
natural  development  of  Christianity,  and  applauded  this 
innovation  as  the  triumph  of  their  Faith.  Paul  could 
not  have  found  surroundings  more  favorable  for  his  work  ; 
he  therefore  continued  his  labors  in  Syria  with  far  greater 
freedom  than  even  in  far-off  Asia  Minor.  Soon  he  went 
still  further,  and  not  content  with  preaching  his  Gospel 
of  the  Un  circumcised  himself,^  he  selected  Titus,  one  of 
their  number,  to  be  his  companion  in  the  new  enterprise. 
This  was  the  most  daring  step  he  could  take  toward  solv- 
ing the  mooted  question  which,  ever  since  the  Vision  at 
Joppa,  had  been  agitating  Christian  minds.  Were  the 
Judaic  forms  of  religion  essential  to  Christianity  ?  Was 
the  unwieldy  trunk  from  which  had  blossomed  the  flower 
of  Life  Divine  still  to  wax  heavier,  and  of  the  earth  earth- 
ier, or  was  it  to  shrivel  up  and  disappear  after  it  had 
borne  its  fruit? 

So  far  as  the  disciples  at  Jerusalem  were  concerned 
with  it,  the  question  was  considered  as  settled  long  ago, 
or  rather  we  should  be  nearer  the  truth  in  saying  it  had 
never  raised  the  slightest  doubt  in  their  minds.  Saint 
Matthew's  Gospel  furnished  the  subject-matter  of  their 
usual  meditations.  Therein  we  see  what  they  listened  to 
most  willingly.  In  the  first  place  came  those  discourses 
of  the  Master  which  imply  His  great  design  "  of  perfect- 
ing, not  abrogating,  the  Law."*  "Until  Heaven  and 
Earth  pass  away,  not  one  iota  nor  one  stroke  of  a  letter 
of  the  Law  shall  pass  away,  till  all  be  fulfilled.  He  who 
shall  break  the  least  of  these  Commandments,  or  teach 
men  to  break  them,  shall  be  regarded  as  the  least  in  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven."  ^  "  The  Scribes  and  Pharisees  are 
seated  in  the  chair  of  Moses.     Take  care  to  do  all  what- 

1  Acts  xi.  19-21.  4  Matt.  v.  17. 

2  Acts  xiii.  2-4;  xiv.  25-27.  ^  Matt.  v.  17-19. 
8  Gal.  ii.  7. 


THE  ASSEMBLY  OF  JERUSALEM.  61 

soever  they  shall  say  to  you."  ^  Fortified  by  these  words 
of  Jesus,  and  combinmg  a  strain  of  Christian  feeling  with 
all  the  practices  of  Jewry,  the  disciples  dwelling  in  the 
Holy  City  felt  that  they  might  justly  appeal  to  their  own 
way  of  living  as  the  definitive  form,  —  the  very  consum- 
mation of  Christianity.  Many  had  quite  forgotten  the 
revelation  given  at  Joppa;  others  tried  to  put  it  from 
their  minds,  as  one  endeavors  to  shake  off  the  impression 
left  by  a  disagreeable  dream.  Finally,  it  must  be  said 
that  the  Twelve,  and,  after  their  dispersal,  James,  with 
the  Elders  who  were  his  aids,  seem  not  to  have  done 
much  toward  keeping  alive  the  memory  of  that  strange 
communication  from  on  High.  Certainly  there  would 
be  hardly  much  occasion  for  this  in  a  Church  composed 
almost  exclusively  of  children  of  Israel.  Its  members 
remained  what  they  were  on  their  entrance,  Jews  in 
their  manners  and  religious  observances.  To  outsiders 
the  only  striking  point  which  distinguished  the  Christians 
from  other  Jews  was  their  finer  piety,  —  the  lofty  tone 
of  spiritual  fervor  with  which  they  practised  their  Law. 
The  strictest  and  sternest  Pharisees  could  not  choose  but 
admire  and  envy  such  exactitude;  many  were  thereby 
led  to  enter  the  new  community,  hoping  to  find  in  it  the 
perfection  of  their  Judaic  beliefs.  Through  these  Phari- 
sees the  Church  of  Jerusalem  came  into  relations  with 
the  Temple,  the  Sanhédrin,  and  the  Orthodox  Schools. 
Gradually  deviating  from  its  primitive  spirit  after  the 
death  of  Stephen,  the  congregation  began  to  share  the 
prejudices  and  anxieties  of  Israel's  foremost  men,  who 
were  now  thoroughly  alarmed  at  the  danger  threatening 
the  cause  of  true  Mosaism.  A  serious  incident,  recounted 
both  in  the  Acts  and  by  Saint  Paul,  will  show  how  deeply 
the  minds  of  all  Christians  in  the  Holy  City  were  pre- 
occupied with  this  burning  question. 

The  rumors  that  reached  Jerusalem  of  the  large  lib- 
erty Paul  enjoyed  in  his  work  had  not  excited  any  great 
surprise,  for  the  disciples  were  now  well  used  to  the  habit- 
ual hardihood  shown  by  the  Syrian  Churches.    This  time, 

1  Matt,  xxiii.  2,  3. 


62  SAINT  PAUL. 

however,  the  novelty  of  the  thing  struck  certain  mem- 
bers of  the  Mother  Church  as  of  sufficient  consequence 
to  warrant  a  personal  visit  to  Antioch  with  the  idea  of 
investigating  this  suspicious  movement  on  the  spot.  As 
they  bore  no  commission  from  either  the  Apostolic  body 
or  the  pastors  of  Jerusalem,  these  men  saw  fit  to  conceal 
the  real  motive  of  their  visit.  Paul  has  only  words  of 
contempt  to  describe  their  actions.  "  These  were  certain 
false  brethren,"  he  says,  "  spies  ^  who  crept  in  stealthily 
to  take  note  of  the  liberty  which  we  have  in  Jesus 
Christ  and  to  drag  us  back  into  slavery."  Not  deigning 
to  notice  them,  the  Apostle  continued  to  speak  with  his 
wonted  independence,  preaching  before  the  congregation 
of  Antioch  "  the  Gospel  of  the  Uncircumcision,"  ^  salva- 
tion through  Grace  and  Faith  in  Jesus,  the  worthlessness 
of  the  works  of  the  Law,  teaching  men  that  circumcision 
itself  would  not  avail  to  wash  away  their  sins.^  This 
was  even  more  than  the  self-appointed  emissaries  had 
been  prepared  to  hear,  and  more  than  they  could  hearken 
to  in  silence.  At  once  throwing  off  all  disguise,  they  en- 
tered their  protest  in  the  name  of  the  Mother  Church, 
and  endeavored  to  enforce  on  all.  Pagans  and  Jews  alike, 
their  precious  principle  :  "  If  you  be  not  circumcised,  as 
Moses  decrees,  you  cannot  be  saved."  ^ 

No  such  pretension  could  be  tolerated,  without  sacri- 
ficing "the  truth  of  the  Gospel."  ^  Paul  would  not  suffer 
such  an  abasement  of  the  Christ,  —  "  no,  not  for  one 
hour  "  ;  Barnabas  and  he  together  withstood  these  men 
from  Jerusalem  with  all  their  might  ;  and  so  manfully 
did  they  do  battle  for  Christian  liberty,^  that  the  con- 

1  Karaa-Koirria-ai,  Gal.  ii.  4.  Verbum  castrense,  says  Grotius.  They 
stole  like  spies  into  a  hostile  camp, 

2  Gal.  ii.  7. 

3  Ibid.  15-21. 

*  Acts  XV.  1.  The  additional  words  to  be  found  in  Beza's  MS.  and  on 
the  margin  of  the  Syriac  Version  of  Philoxenus,  koI  tû5  cdti  Mcwvaews 
irepnraTTjTe,  would  indicate  that  the  necessity  of  circumcision  implied,  in 
the  minds  of  Judaizing  Christians,  that  of  all  the  Mosaical  Observances. 

5  Gal.  ii.  5. 

^  "Paul  declared  energetically  {e\€y€v  Siïa-xvpiCS/xeyos)  that  the  Gen- 
tiles ought  to  remain  as  they  were  at  the  time  when  they  believed."    An 


THE  ASSEMBLY  OF  JERUSALEM.  63 

troversy  terminated  in  a  lively  discussion,  and  excited 
much  feeling  in  the  Antioch  Church.^  "The  Gentiles 
who  had  turned  unto  God"^  relapsed  into  a  state  of 
troubled  uncertainty. 

For  the  first  time  they  beheld  Paul's  authority  con- 
tested, his  preaching  criticised  as  a  corruption  of  the 
Gospel.  The  surest  means  of  putting  an  end  to  the 
dispute  was  to  consult  the  Mother  Church  ;  of  the  Apos- 
tles the  three  most  illustrious  and  reverenced  representa- 
tives, Peter,  James,  and  John,  happened  to  be  in  the 
Holy  City  at  this  very  time;  they,  if  any,  could  tell 
what  was  the  teaching  of  the  Lord  Himself.  This  ap- 
peal "  to  the  Elders  and  to  the  Apostles  at  Jerusalem  "  ^ 
seems  to  have  been  resolved  upon  by  common  consent 
and  with  one  accord  ;  it  is  more  than  likely  that  the 
step  was  suggested  by  the  zealots  who  had  come  from 
Judea,  and  that  they  proposed  it  as  an  act  of  deference  to 
which  Antioch  was  bound,^  for  Paul  gave  his  assent  only 
after  being  counselled  so  to  do  from  on  High.  "  I  went 
to  Jerusalem,"  he  states,  "in  consequence  of  a  Ptcvela- 
tion."  ^  Once  he  knew  God's  will,  he  set  forth  fearlessly, 
making  it  apparent  by  the  choice  of  his  companions  that 
he  intended  to  put  the  matter  in  the  strongest  light  : 
one  of  these  was  Barnabas,  who  with  him  had  founded 
so  many  Churches  among  Pagans;  the  other  was  none 
else  than  Titus,  that  Gentile  of  Antioch  ^  whom  Paul  had 

addition  of  Beza's  MS.,  written  on  the  margin  of  the  Syriac  Version  of 
Philoxenus. 

1  Tevo/JLévrjs  ovv  crdaécos  koÏ  <Tv(r]T-i]<rço}S  ovk  oAîyns.  Acts  xv.  2.  In 
the  Acts  (vi.  9,  xxviii.  29)  the  word  (-hr-nais  means  a  violent  discussion  or 
dispute.  ^Taais  signifies  an  insurrection;  S.  Luke  employs  it  in  this 
sense  in  his  Gospel,  xxiii.  19. 

2  Acts  XV.  19. 

3  Acts  XV.  2. 

4  Another  reading  in  Beza's  MS.  implies  that  in  ancient  times  the  text 
of  the  Acts  was  taken  in  this  sense.  'n.ap-i]y'yçi\av  avroîs  r^  UavAcp  kol 
T(f  Bapi/d^a  Koi  Ticriy  &W015  àvafiaiv^iv  irphs  rovs  dTrocToAous. 

5  Gal.  i'i.  2. 

6  The  Acts  (xv.  2)  speaks  of  the  brethren  of  Antioch  sending  to  Jeru- 
salem "  Paul,  Barnabas,  and  certain  of  their  own  number."  In  all  likeli- 
hood the  last  words  refer  to  Christians  who  not  only  belonged  to  the 
Church  of  Antioch  but  were  natives  of  that  city.  Titus  was  one  of  them. 
Gal.  ii.  1. 


64  SAINT  PAUL. 

made  one  of  his  most  faithful  disciples.  The  Apostle 
would  have  him  to  accompany  him  now,  in  order  to  let 
the  Church  in  Jerusalem  see  what  triumphs  Grace  had 
won  among  the  uncircumcised.  The  importance  of  their 
mission  was  so  apparent  to  all  minds  that  the  faithful 
escorted  them  solemnly  out  of  Antioch  ;  while  for  their 
part,  "passing  through  Phoenicia  and  Samaria,  they  re- 
lated everywhere  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles,  and 
thereby  caused  great  joy  among  all  the  brethren."  ^ 

Very  different  from  this  was  the  state  of  popular 
feeling  in  the  Holy  City.  Twenty  years  had  passed 
since  the  day  when  the  Twelve,  from  the  portals  of  the 
Supper-room  had  proclaimed  the  constitution  of  God's 
Church.  One  of  them  had  suffered  martyrdom  ;  the 
rest,  now  scattered  among  the  nations,  "  were  preaching 
to  every  creature."  ^  James  remained  as  the  sole  pas- 
tor of  Jerusalem,  growing  daily  more  attached  to  the 
Law,  both  he  and  his  flock  with  him,  as  they  saw  how 
elsewhere  it  was  coming  to  be  more  and  more  generally 
neglected.  The  zeal  of  the  community  even  waxed 
warmer  with  the  increase  of  conversions,  for  the  prose- 
lytes were  almost  all,  as  we  have  seen,  Pharisees  drawn 
by  the  desire  of  elevating  Jewish  notions  of  piety  to 
their  perfection.  When  admitted  within  the  fold  of 
Jesus,  they  lost  no  time  in  fortifying  the  claims  of  Mosa- 
ism  by  all  the  influence  of  their  saintly  lives,  and  gave 
the  decrepit  Observances  a  new  flush  of  life  by  breath- 
ing into  them  somewhat  of  a  Christian  spirit.  Narrow 
as  were  those  neophytes  in  their  standards  of  Faith  and 
virtue  they  were  at  any  rate  sincere,  and  in  many 
instances  admirable  characters.  The  Law  had  never 
brought  forth  fairer  fruits  than  here  and  now,  when  it 
was  doomed  so  soon  to  die.  All  James's  thoughts  were 
preoccupied  with  this  crowning  glory  of  the  ancient  Cov- 
enant ;  in  his  presence  John  merely  looked  on  and  said 
nothing.  Peter  alone  could  have  broken  down  the  nar- 
row boundaries  which  the  saints  of  Jerusalem  were 
building  up  about  their  little  circle.     It  so  chanced  that 

1  Acts  XV.  3.  2  Mark  xvi.  15. 


THE  ASSEMBLY  OF  JERUSALEM.  65 

he  was  among  them  at  this  date,  havmg  been  driven  out 
of  Eome  by  the  edict  of  Claudius/  which  banished  both 
Jews  and  Christians.  His  Vision  at  Joppa  had  left  no 
doubts  in  his  mind  as  to  the  ruin  destined  to  befall 
Judaism,  yet  also  he  was  as  well  aware  that  God's  will 
was  not  to  precipitate  matters,  but  to  allow  the  institu- 
tions of  Israel  to  crumble  and  fall  of  themselves.  Like 
John,  Peter  too  held  his  peace. 

The  first  act  of  Paul  and  Barnabas  was  to  appear  in 
the  assembly  of  the  brethren  before  the  Apostles  and  the 
Elders.  "There  they  recounted  the  great  things  God 
had  done  throufdi  them,"^  how  at  the  sound  of  their 
voice  a  people  wholly  Heathen  had  risen  up  and  covered 
the  land  with  Christian  congregations.  Splendid  as  had 
been  the  conquest,  one  dark  spot  dimmed  its  lustre  in 
the  eyes  of  the  Christians  of  Jerusalem:  why  had  the 
missionaries  failed  to  bind  these  new  Churches  to  the  Ob- 
servances of  the  Judaic  Law  ?  ^  Several  of  the  converted 
Pharisees  rose  up  on  the  spot  to  register  their  protest; 
naturally  it  would  be  their  contention  that  Paul's  work 
was  incomplete,  "  that  it  was  necessary  to  circumcise  the 
Gentiles,  and  command  them  to  keep  the  Law  of  Moses." 
Thus  the  dispute  they  had  come  to  settle  in  the  presence 
of  the  Mother  Church  was  clearly  enunciated  at  the  very 
first  encounter  of  the  two  opposing  sides.  To  meet  his 
adversaries  at  this  stage  of  the  conflict,  before  any  pre- 
cautions could  be  taken,  and  in  the  face  of  a  prejudiced 
gathering,  would  have  been  to  run  the  risk  of  arousing 
an  outburst  of  fanaticism,  and  so  of  compromising  the 
security  and  freedom  of  his  future  actions.  Paul,  prompt 
as  he  was  for  the  contest  at  Antioch,  observed  a  prudent 
reticence  here  in  Jerusalem  ;  he  would  leave  it  for  time, 
reflection,  and  private  interviews  to  prepare  men's  minds 
for  his  words. 

During  the  ensuing  days,  "  the  Apostles  and  the  Elders 
met  to  examine  the  matter,"  and  conferred  concerning 
it  on  more  than  one  occasion.  The  presence  of  Titus 
compelled  them  not  merely  to  adopt  some  decision,  but 

1  Suetonius,  Claudius,  25.  ^  Acts  xv,  4.  ^  Acts  xv.  5. 

5 


66  SAINT  PAUL. 

also  to  put  that  decision  in  practice  immediately.  Every 
week,  every  day,  indeed,  here  in  the  Holy  City,  saw 
them  met  together  for  the  celebration  of  the  Agape. 
Were  they  to  exclude  this  baptized  Heathen  ?  The 
rigorists  held  that  they  must,  for  every  Gentile,  and 
every  proselyte  as  well,  who  had  not  been  transformed 
into  a  true  son  of  Israel  by  Circumcision  and  entire 
observance  of  the  Law,  must  ever  be  regarded  as  an 
unclean  creature,  with  whom  it  is  unlawful  to  commu- 
nicate. Consequently  these  zealots  were  clamorous  in 
their  demands  that  Titus  should  be  circumcised,  refusing 
to  have  anything  to  do  with  him  until  purified  by  the 
rite  of  blood.  Others,  of  more  moderate  views,  were 
shocked  at  this  treatment  of  Paul's  fellow  worker,  and 
looked  upon  Titus  as  a  brother  to  whom  by  baptism 
belonged  equal  rank,  and  the  same  rights  with  them  in 
the  Church.  The  two  parties  waxed  warmer  as  they 
came  into  direct  collision  during  these  heated  discus- 
sions.i  Paul  avoided  taking  part  in  the  debate,  having 
resolved  not  to  treat  personally  with  any  one  beside  the 
three  Apostles,  James,  Peter,  and  John,  then  present  in 
Jerusalem. 

Of  these,  the  two  last  named  were  easily  won  over  ; 
they  were  of  the  most  loving  disposition  of  any  among 
the  Twelve  ;  the  charity  of  Christ  had  dilated  their 
hearts  and  opened  wide  their  eyes  ;  Paul's  broad  views 
were  not  likely  to  scandalize  them.  James  himself  soon 
began  to  feel  that  he  too  must  surrender  ;  all  absorbed  as 
he  seems  to  have  been  in  the  life  of  his  little  Jewish 
world,  the  Bishop  of  Jerusalem  yielded  in  his  turn  to 
the  influence  of  Paul.  Then,  too,  all  three  could  not  fail 
to  be  touched  by  the  respect  shown  toward  them  by  this 
Apostle,  already  so  illustrious  in  the  Church.  They 
recognized  in  him  the  same  man  they  had  met  ten  years 
earlier,  when  Barnabas  presented  him  to  them  for  the 
first  time.2     Neither  his  long  Apostolate  in  Asia  Minor, 

1  Acts  XV.  7.  The  word  (TvCnTiiaçws  has  the  same  sense  here  as  above 
(xv.  2),  and  indicates  that  at  Jerusalem  as  well  as  Autioch  dissensions 
broke  out  among  the  brethren,  and  were  carried  to  a  pitch  bordering  on 
violence. 

2  Acts  ix.  27. 


THE  ASSEMBLY  OF  JERUSALEM.  67 

nor  the  authority  he  now  wielded  over  the  Christian 
congregations  of  Syria,  had  diminished  one  whit  his  rev- 
erence for  the  Apostolic  College.  Peter,  James,  and  John 
were  in  his  eyes  still  the  same  "notable  men,"  "pillars 
of  the  Church."^  "In  private  interviews,"  he  says,  "I 
laid  before  them  the  Gospel  which  I  preach  among  the 
nations,  for  fear  lest  in  any  wise  I  should  run  or  had  run 
in  vain."  ^ 

The  salient  trait  of  this  Gospel  consisted  in  its  efface- 
ment of  all  distinctions  between  Israelites  and  the  uncir- 
cumcised  ;  consequently,  in  its  abolishing  for  the  latter 
the  hardships  of  the  Law.  Indeed,  from  their  own 
standpoint,  even  the  most  obstinate  of  the  Jews  never 
regarded  the  Mosaical  Observances  as  of  themselves  ca- 
pable of  working  out  man's  salvation.  The  essential 
thing  in  their  religion,  as  they  were  well  aware,  was  "  to 
fear  the  Lord,  to  walk  in  His  ways,  to  serve  and  to  love 
Him  with  their  whole  heart  and  their  whole  soul."^ 
They  knew  that  "  the  good  thing,  the  Precept  of  the  Eter- 
nal, consists  in  doing  that  which  is  right,  in  loving  mercy, 
in  walking  humbly  with  God."*  But  however  high  a 
price  they  set  on  the  dispositions  of  the  inner  man,  these, 
they  held,  were  insufficient  unless  consecrated  by  the  out- 
ward forms  of  Mosaism.  Paul  demanded  absolute  lib- 
erty, and  he  won  his  cause  with  the  heads  of  the  Church. 
One  point  alone.  Circumcision,  would  seem  to  have  been 
discussed  by  them,  and  this  with  something  like  very 
strong  feeling.  The  omission  of  this  rite,  which  might  be 
overlooked  in  foreign  parts,  would  be  considered  by  the 
Jews  here  in  the  Holy  City  as  a  license  to  do  injury  and 
dishonor  to  Jehovah  and  His  Temple.  The  three  Apos- 
tles contended  that  Titus  should  submit  in  this  matter, 
regarding  it  in  the  light  of  a  condescension,  and  a  token 
of  charitable  feeling  toward  the  converted  Jews.  But 
Paul  could  not  regard  this  concession  as  anything  but  a 
useless  yielding,  and  another  danger  to  the  Faith  which 

1  Gal.  ii.  2,  9.  2  Qal.  ii.  2. 

3  Deut.  X.  12. 

4  Mic.  vi.  8  ;  cf.  1  Kings  xv.  22,  and  Is.  vi.  6. 


68  SAINT  PAUL. 

he  was  bound  to  fight  for;  although  alone  and  single- 
handed,  in  this  contest  for  Christian  liberty  he  gained 
the  mastery  at  last,  and  succeeded  in  preventing  the 
circumcision  of  Titus.^ 

Undoubtedly  on  the  other  points  he  was  equally  suc- 
cessful in  framing  the  subject-matter  of  the  resolutions 
finally  adopted  by  the  Apostles.  His  long  sojourn  in 
Churches  made  up  of  Jews  and  Pagans,  with  the  opposi- 
tion he  had  had  to  overcome  in  Asia  Minor,  enabled  him 
to  fix  what  was  in  his  eyes  a  just  limit  to  any  concessions 
made  by  one  side  or  the  other  in  the  hope  of  preserving 
the  peace.  The  foremost  end  to  be  kept  in  view,  as  it 
appeared  to  them,  was  the  drafting  of  some  agreement 
whereby  all  the  brethren  should  be  enabled  to  sit  at  the 
same  table,  and  participate  in  the  Agape  which  accom- 
panied the  Eucharistie  Supper.  With  this  in  mind,  it 
was  decided  that  the  converted  Heathen  should  abstain 
from  meats  offered  in  sacrifice,  from  blood,  and  from  suffo- 
cated animals,  these  being  contaminations  which  would 
have  prevented  all  conservative  Jews  from  partaking  of 

^  'AAA'  ovBe  Titos  .  .  .  TjvayKacrOr}  TrepiTfxrjOriuai.  Aia  Se  rovs  Trapei- 
(XaKTOvs  \pev5ad€A(povs,  'Iva  rjfxâs  KUTaSovAdoaovaiu  '  oîs  oùSè  irphs  îùpau 
d^ajxçv  T'p  vTTOTayf},  'iva  rj  à\-t]deia  rod  ^vayyçXlov  Siafxdvr)  irphs  vfias. 
Gal.  ii.  3-5.  Two  interpretations  have  been  given  of  this  obscure  passage 
in  Galatians.  The  usual  translation,  and  the  one  adopted  above,  is  this  : 
"  Neither  Avas  Titus  obliged  to  be  circumcised.  .  .  .  Nor  did  any  considera- 
tion for  the  false  brethren  who  had  crept  in  unawares,  .  .  .  that  they 
might  bring  us  back  into  bondage,  induce  us  to  yield  to  them,  no,  not  for 
one  hour,  in  order  tliat  the  truth  of  the  Gospel  might  remain  among  you." 
Others,  on  the  contrary,  conclude  from  these  words  of  the  Apostle  that 
Titus  had  been  circumcised,  and  render  the  text  thus  :  "  If  Titus  was 
circumcised,  it  was  not  because  they  compelled  him  thereto  ;  it  was  on 
account  of  the  false  brethren,  and  as  a  temporary  concession,  with  the 
only  end  in  view  of  insuring  to  you  a  lasting  liberty."  Tertullian  (Adv. 
Marc,  V.  3)  adopts  this  interpretation,  because  he  rejects  the  words  oîs 
ovSe  as  interpolated,  and  hence  the  only  natural  translation  would  be, 
"  We  yielded  to  them  for  a  time."  In  like  manner,  S.  Irenœus  omits  the'^e 
two  words,  and  Victorinus  Primas  declares  that  he  found  them  in  only  a 
certain  number  of  Latin  copies  ;  but  the  manuscripts,  versions,  and  Avrit- 
ings  of  the  Fathers  which  retain  them  are  so  numerous  that  it  is  impos- 
sible for  us  not  to  maintain  their  authenticity.  The  sole  reasonable 
conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  the  text,  if  we  admit  the  reading  oîs  ovS4, 
is  that  Titus  remained  among  the  uucircumcised  :  the  theme  of  the  Epistle 
to  the  Galatians,  the  sequence  of  ideas,  the  context,  all  lead  naturally  to 
this  conclusion. 


THE  ASSEMBLY  OF  JERUSALEM.  69 

the  common  meal.^  In  return,  the  children  of  Israel  were 
not  to  impose  any  other  observances  than  these  upon  the 
Gentile  congregations.  And  at  this  small  price  Chris- 
tianity purchased  its  freedom  from  Circumcision  and  the 
other  legal  practices.  It  was  a  complete  triumph  for 
Paul,  whose  mission  was  thus  authorized  by  the  great 
Apostles.  Henceforth  to  all  attacks  the  Apostle  of  the 
Nations  merely  opposes  this  approbation  of  the  leaders  of 
the  Church  :  — 

"I  set  before  them  my  Gospel,  and  they  had  nothing 
further  to  teach  me.  But,  on  the  contrary,  when  they 
saw  that  the  Gospel  of  the  Uncircumcision  had  been 
confided  to  me,  as  that  of  the  Circumcision  had  been  to 
Peter,2  and  after  recognizing  the  Grace  which  I  have 
received,  James,  Cephas,  and  John,  who  were  considered 
as  pillars,  gave  me  their  hands,  to  me  and  to  Barnabas, 
for  a  token  of  the  union  and  fellowship  which  was  be- 
tween us,  that  so  we  might  preach  the  Gospel  to  the 
Gentiles,  and  they  unto  the  Circumcised.  They  only 
recommended  us  to  be  mindful  of  the  poor  "  of  the  Holy 
City.3 

This  prayer  that  they  be  not  forgetful  of  Jerusalem 
came  from  the  lips  of  men  at  once  sad  and  resigned  at 
heart.  Poor  Sion,  so  dear  to  Jesus  !  what  was  to  become 
of  her  ?  Her  resources  exhausted,  owing  to  the  absolute 
renunciation  of  property  practised  by  the  members,  shar- 
ing furthermore  in  the  hard  times  which  Judea  was  then 
experiencing,  the  Mother  Church  was  languishing  in  a 
state  of  utter  indigence.  The  future,  which  for  Paul's 
Churches  was  opening  up  with  such  large  prospects  and 

1  M.  Eenan  is  wrong  in  regarding  these  prohibitions  as  embodying  the 
whole  of  the  Noachian  Precepts.  This  moral  code  —  so  named  because, 
according  to  Eabbinical  traditions,  the  Patriarch  gave  it  to  his  sons  on 
leaving  the  ark  —  comprised  seven  precepts,  which  forbade  idolatry, 
impiety,  homicide,  fornication,  theft,  disobedience  to  the  laws,  and  blood 
taken  as  food.  Five  of  these  prohibitions  are  passed  over  in  silence  in 
the  Apostolic  decree. 

2  Paul  does  not  mean  by  this  that  his  teaching  differed  from  that  of 
Peter,  but  that  he  was  given  the  grace,  as  one  specially  commissioned  by 
God,  to  present  it  to  the  Gentiles  under  the  form  which  would  be  most 
acceptable  to  them. 

3  Gal.  ii.  2-15. 


70  SAINT  PAUL. 

SO  full  of  promise,  here  in  Jerusalem  offered  to  such  as 
studied  the  signs  of  the  times  a  perspective  which  was 
growing  ever  narrower  as  these  zealots  clung  with  blinder 
obstinacy  to  their  Law.  Thus  this  congregation  was 
locking  itself  up  in  a  self-imposed  solitude  to  await  the 
day  when  its  flickering  light  should  fade  out  in  its  for- 
saken and  useless  socket.  Though  they  must  have  had 
some  premonitions  of  this  decline  of  the  Mother  Church, 
the  Apostles  were  anxious  to  alleviate  the  forlorn  pros- 
pects which  threatened  its  last  days.  Paul  entered  into 
their  views  with  all  the  eagerness  of  a  tender  aud  com- 
passionate soul.  Thereafter,  wherever  he  goes,  we  shall 
see  him  gathering  alms  for  the  saints  of  Jerusalem, 
going  so  far  as  to  regulate  the  amount  to  be  contributed 
by  tlie  Churches,  and  appointing  the  methods  of  collec- 
tion ;  and  this  so  effectively,  that  the  tribute-pence  of 
Christianity  was  a  never  failing  resource  to  the  needy 
Church  in  the  Holy  City.^ 

It  remained  for  the  Apostles  to  get  the  resolutions 
they  had  just  adopted  into  a  form  acceptable  to  their  flock, 
—  an  arduous  task,  to  augur  from  the  violent  debates 
which  were  now  agitating  the  community.  This  duty 
fell  by  right  to  Peter  :  in  the  presence  of  the  assembled 
Elders  and  brethren,^  he  spoke  with  a  power  commensu- 
rate with  his  boldness.  At  the  very  outset  he  reminded 
them  that  long  ago  the  question  has  been  settled,  and  by 
himself  ;  for  God  had  chosen  him  at  Joppa  to  open  the 
Kingdom  of  the  Christ  unto  the  Gentiles. 

"  God,  Who  knoweth  men's  hearts,"  he  went  on,  "  hath 
witnessed  for  them,  giving  the  Holy  Spirit  to  these  Gen- 
tiles, as  well  as  to  us.  Nor  hath  He  made  any  difference 
between  them  and  us,  having  purified  their  hearts  by 
Faith.  Now,  therefore,  why  do  you  tempt  God  by  wish- 
ing to  put  upon  the  neck  of  these  disciples  a  yoke  which 
neither  our  fathers  nor  we  have  been  able  to  bear  ?     We 

Î  Rom.  XV.  26,  27  ;  1  Cor.  xvi.  1-6;  2  Cor.  ix.  1  et  seg.  ;  Acts  xxiv.  17. 

2  I  have  purposely  refraiued  from  calling  this  Apostolic  assembly  by 
the  name  of  Council,  which  cannot  be  given  it  if  the  term  is  taken  in  its 
strict  and  proper  meaning  :  "  Speciem  quamdam  et  imaginera  Synodi  in 
prœdicta  congregatione  eminere."    Benedict  XIV.,  De  Synod.,  i.  1-5. 


THE  ASSEMBLY  OF  JERUSALEM.  71 

are  saved  by  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  ;  they  likewise 
are  saved  in  the  same  manner  :  such  is  our  Faith."  ^ 

To  these  words,  which  set  aside  Circumcision  and 
Mosaism  as  a  whole,  like  a  code  fallen  into  desuetude, 
none  durst  reply  ;  or  it  may  be  they  were  speechless  with 
amazement,  or  too  full  of  respectful  awe  for  the  Chief  of 
the  Twelve.  The  two  missionaries  of  Asia  Minor  were 
swift  to  take  advantage  of  this  silence.  Barnabas  spoke 
first,  Paul  after  him.  Both  missionaries,  without  entering 
into  any  discussion  of  the  question,  told  the  simple  story 
of  their  Apostolate,  dwelling  especially  on  the  wonders 
which  had  illustrated  it.  Peter,  in  support  of  this  decis- 
ion, had  alleged  no  further  argument  than  the  abundance 
of  supernatural  gifts  lavished  in  equal  measure  on  Jews 
and  Gentiles.  Paul,  following  his  example,  justified  the 
freedom  of  his  preaching  by  the  miracles  whereby  God 
had  authorized  and  approved  it.  This,  indeed,  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Jews,  was  so  manifest  a  proof  of  the  Divine  assist- 
ance, that  they  could  not  but  bear  him  out. 

James  rose  in  his  turn.  The  veneration  with  which 
he  was  regarded  gave  an  added  weight  to  his  words. 
Though  inferior  to  Peter  in  the  Apostolic  College,  he  sur- 
passed him  in  the  moral  authority  he  exercised  over  the 
disciples  of  the  Holy  City.  Not  a  man  there  but  knew 
his  inflexible  integrity,  prompted  by  no  other  care,  with 
no  other  end  in  view,  save  the  triumph  of  the  truth  ; 
but  they  were  as  well  assured  of  his  rigorous  fidelity  to 
Mosaism.  How  often  had  they  seen  this  old  man,  worn 
with  fastings,  leading  the  Nazarite's  life,  walking  bare- 
footed in  the  Temple,  wrapped  in  the  white  tunic  of  the 
Lévites  !  What  was  the  use  of  longer  resistance  when 
they  heard  this  Apostle,  who  combined  in  his  person  the 
majesty  of  the  Pontificate  together  with  all  the  prestige 
of  the  ancient  seers,  declaring  that  he  too  held  that 
the  Judaic  rites  were  not  to  be  binding  forever  ?  Peter 
had  embraced  and  sustained  Paul's  opinions  with  all  his 
wonted  impetuosity,  opening  wide  the  doors  of  Salvation 
and  speaking  only  of  emancipation  from  the  old  bondage. 

1  Acts  XV.  8-11. 


72  SAINT  PAUL. 

Like  him  James  acknowledged  that  neither  Circumcision 
nor  outward  Observances  were  the  essentials  of  religion  ; 
but  he  hastened  to  show  his  faithful  flock  that  this  Eev- 
elation  made  to  the  Head  of  the  Church  was  in  accordance 
with  the  ancient  prophecies.^ 

He  took  great  pains  to  add,  by  way  of  modification, 
that  the  liberty  allowed  the  Gentiles  was  not  to  be  abso- 
lute, that  they  were  bidden  to  avoid  the  contaminations 
considered  particularly  odious,  such  as  the  flesh  of  beasts 
that  had  been  strangled  or  offered  to  idols,  and  blood 
taken  as  nourishment.  The  sole  reason  he  gave  for  these 
restrictions  was  that  Jews  were  now  scattered  all  over 
the  wide  world,  and  that,  as  the  Law  was  still  read  to 
them  every  Saturday,  any  such  open  violation  of  their 
ordinances  would  give  rise  to  scandal.^ 

Thanks  to  this  prudent  deference  to  their  feelings,  the 
Bishop  of  Jerusalem  preserved  his  authority  over  his 
flock  and  rallied  them  under  the  banner  of  righteous 
principles.  Unity  was  thus  once  more  established,  and 
with  one  consent  the  assembly  resolved  to  forward  these 
resolutions  to  the  brethren  of  Antioch.  James  demanded 
that  to  the  list  of  contaminations  they  had  just  forbidden 
there  should  be  added  fornication,  having  in  view  by 
this  no  longer  Pagans  alone,  but  the  Jews  of  Syria  as 
well.  Apparently  in  this  we  can  trace  the  result  of  his 
conversations  with  Paul  ;  from  the  latter  he  had  learned 
how  in  Libanus,  Upper  Syria,  Cyprus,  and  Phrygia  the 
local  religious  ceremonies  were  an  occasion  of  licentious 

1  Acts  XV.  14-17.  "Simon  lias  told  after  what  manner  God  began  to 
look  favorably  upon  the  Gentiles,  to  choose  from  among  them  a  people 
consecrated  to  His  Name.  This  is  in  accordance  with  the  words  of  the 
Prophets,  as  it  is  written  :  '  After  that  I  Avill  return  to  build  up  anew  the 
House  of  David  which  is  fallen  ;  I  will  repair  its  ruins  and  will  raise  it  up 
again,  that  so  the  rest  of  mankind  and  all  the  Gentiles  on  whom  My 
Name  hath  been  invoked  may  seek  the  Lord.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  Who 
will  accomplish  these  things.'  (Amos  ix.  11,  12)."  According  to  the 
custom  among  the  Jews,  S.  James  quotes  this  text  from  memory,  para- 
phrasing it  and  without  any  idea  of  repeating  it  word  for  word.  In  his 
narrative,  destined  for  Greek  readers,  S.  Luke  gives  the  Septuagint 
Version,  which  in  many  points  explains  rather  than  literally  translates  the 
Hebrew. 

'^  Acts  XV.  21. 


THE  ASSEMBLY  OF  JERUSALEM.  73 

excesses  ;  ^  at  every  hand  the  degraded  sanctuaries  of 
these  regions  were  fraught  with  the  same  dangers  for 
the  sons  of  Israel  as  of  old  were  the  tents  of  Baal  and 
Astartë  for  their  ancestors.  To  provide  against  such  en- 
ticements, always  fatal  to  their  race,  the  Bishop  of  Jeru- 
salem would  have  them  enter  this  precept  of  morality 
among  the  rules  otherwise  entirely  Jewish  in  tone,  whose 
observance  was  to  be  made  obligatory  on  all.  And  for 
the  rest,  throughout  the  letter,  it  seems  as  if  we  could 
recognize  the  hand  of  James  and  his  Elders  ;  it  is  they 
who  are  speaking  here,^  in  union  with  Peter  and  the 
Apostles  certainly,  but  in  the  name  of  the  Mother 
Church  :  — 

"  The  Apostles  and  the  Elders  and  the  brethren  to  the 
brethren  from  among  the  Nations  who  are  at  Antioch,  in 
Syria,  and  in  Cilicia,  greeting  ! 

"  Forasmuch  as  we  have  learned  that  certain  men  who 
went  out  from  among  us  have  troubled  you  by  their 
speeches  and  disturbed  your  souls,  without,  however, 
having  been  in  any  way  commissioned  by  us,  it  hath 
seemed  good  to  us,  being  all  of  one  accord,^  to  choose  from 
among  us  certain  men  and  to  send  them  to  you  with  our 
well  beloved  Barnabas  and  Paul,  who  have  exposed  their 
lives  for  the  Name  of  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  We  there- 
fore send  you  Juda  and  Silas,  who  will  give  you  to  know 
the  same  things  by  word  of  mouth.  For  it  hath  seemed 
good  to  the  Holy  Ghost  and  to  us  not  to  impose  any 
other  duties  upon  you  than  these  which  are  necessary,  to 
wit  that  you  abstain  from  aught  which  hath  been  sacri- 

1  The  depravity  of  men's  minds  had  fallen  so  low  before  the  dawn  of 
Christianity  that  fornication  was  not  only  regarded  as  an  indifferent  act 
(Horace,  1  Sat.  ii.  31;  Terentius,  Adelph.  i.  2,  21;  Cicero,  Pro  Cœ/io, 
20),  it  was  even  embodied  among  religious  practices  and  in  certain  cults 
became  a  sacred  rite. 

2  "As  we  have  heard  it  said  that  certain  ones,  who  went  out  from  us, 
have  troubled  you  .  .  .  men  to  whom  we  have  given  no  commands  ..." 
Acts  XV.  24.  This  phraseology  is  enough  to  show  that  it  is  the  leaders  of 
the  Jerusalem  Church  who  are  speaking  and  writing. 

^  In  the  Greet:  text,  yçvofxevois  ô/j.odv/jLa86v,  which  may  be  translated, 
as  in  the  Vulgate,  by  "  collectis  in  unum,"  being  assembled  with  one 
accord,  and  of  one  mind. 


74  SAINT  PAUL. 

ficed  to  idols,  from  blood,  from  strangled  meats,  and  from 
fornication.  If  you  keep  yourselves  from  these  things 
you  shall  do  well.     Fare  ye  well  I  " 

This  letter  was  intrusted  to  the  hands  of  the  deputies 
chosen  to  accompany  Paul  and  Barnabas  on  their  return.^ 
Two  of  them,  Silas  and  Juda  Bar-Saba,  "  occupied  a  fore- 
most rank  among  the  Christians  of  Jerusalem."  ^  It 
was  their  mission  to  communicate  the  resolutions  of  the 
Mother  Church  to  the  congregations  at  Antioch,  and,  if 
need  be,  explain  their  full  purport  by  word  of  mouth. 

The  assembled  brethren  of  Antioch  listened  to  the 
reading  of  the  Apostolic  decree,  and  drew  from  it  great 
consolation,  for  at  last  they  saw  their  wishes  realized  ; 
this  disavowal  of  the  zealots  who  for  the  moment  had 
disquieted  them,  this  liberation  from  the  Observances 
which  were  so  repellent  alike  on  account  of  their  multi- 
plicity and  their  rigorousness,  in  fine,  this  summary  list 
of  precepts  so  easily  fulfilled,  —  all  this  cheered  their 
hearts.  The  speeches  of  Silas  and  Juda  heaped  up  the 
measure  of  their  joy  ;  both  of  them,  as  men  of  learning 
and  authority,  were  ranked  among  the  Prophets  ;  ^  this 
influence  they  used  to  good  purpose  on  the  various  occa- 
sions when  they  addressed  the  disciples  at  Antioch  ;  they 
strengthened  them  in  their  Faith,  making  it  past  all 
question  that  hereafter  the  Churches  of  the  Gentiles  were 
to  have  all  "  liberty  in  Jesus,  the  Christ."* 

This  work  of  preaching  detained  the  envoys  from  Jeru- 
salem some  time.  At  last,  deeming  their  mission  accom- 
plished, they  asked  permission  to  depart  from  the  pastors 
of  Antioch,  who  "  bade  them  return  in  peace  to  them  that 
sent  them  forth."     All,  however,  did  not  start  out  on  the 

^  It  is  scarcely  probable  that  Juda  and  Silas  were  allowed  to  depart 
unaccompanied  by  one  of  those  escorts  by  means  of  which  Orientals 
always  took  care  to  heighten  the  importance  of  their  embassies.  To  be 
sure,  the  Acts  do  not  expressly  allude  to  the  brethren  who  made  up  their 
suite;  but  they  leave  it  to  be  understood.  On  their  return,  in  fact, 
although  Silas  remained  at  Antioch,  St.  Luke  uses  the  plural,  "They 
were  dismissed"  {àireKvQfiffav),  thereby  indicating  that  Juda  did  not 
return  alone  to  Jerusalem. 

2  Acts  XV.  22. 

3  Ibid.  *  Gal.  ii.  4. 


THE  ASSEMBLY  OF  JERUSALEM.  75 

homeward  journey  ;  one  of  their  number,  Silas,  was  too 
delighted  with  the  charms  of  the  life  of  liberty  enjoyed 
by  the  churches  of  Syria  to  tear  himself  away  ;  he  lin- 
gered in  Antioch,  and  gradually  identified  himself  with 
Paul's  little  band,  becoming  eventually  one  of  his  faith- 
fulest  companions. 

This  early  conquest  of  such  a  man  as  Silas  shows  how 
great  was  the  Apostle's  ascendency  at  this  time  and 
thereafter.  His  authority,  though  imposing  even  before 
the  conference  at  Jerusalem,  assumed  still  more  com- 
manding proportions  in  all  men's  eyes  after  this  public 
triumph.  Not  only  had  he  shown  himself  the  soul  of 
that  assembly,  but  he  had  come  forth  thence  a  conqueror 
in  the  struggle  with  Judaism,  since  at  the  cost  of  a 
few  temporary  measures,  applicable  to  the  "  converts  of 
Antioch,  Syria,  and  Cilicia/'  ^  he  had  obtained  an  official 
recognition  of  his  mission  as  Apostle  of  the  Nations,  of 
his  right  to  independence,  and  of  the  authenticity  and 
truth  of  that  Gospel  which  had  been  directly  revealed  to 
him.  With  the  approbation  of  the  three  great  Apostles 
and  pillars  of  the  Church,  Peter,  James,  and  John,^ 
Paul  was  to  be  acknowledged  thenceforth  as  the  Doctor 
and  infallible  guide  of  the  only  Churches  which  had  a 
future  before  them,  —  those  of  the  Gentiles. 

Another  incident  occurred  to  consummate  the  conse- 
cration of  this  authority  in  the  eyes  of  even  the  sternest 
Judaizers.  Peter  appeared  in  Antioch,  following  not 
long  after  the  members  deputed  by  Jerusalem.  His  joy 
was  heartfelt  and  outspoken  on  seeing  how,  in  this  the 
first  Church  founded  by  him  in  Gentile  territory.  Christian 
life  was  expanding  beyond  the  bounds  of  Mosaism.  Far 
from  taking  offence  at  this  spirit  of  liberty,  but  rather 

1  Acts  XV.  23.  In  after  years,  indeed,  we  shall  find  that  S.  Paul  in 
his  letters  to  the  Corinthians  and  Ephesians  makes  no  use  of  this  decree 
when  regulating  the  conduct  of  his  followers. 

2  The  disciple  beloved  of  Jesus  seems  to  emerge  from  the  obscurity 
which  envelops  his  life  during  the  first  years  of  the  Church  only  that 
he  may  give  this  witness  to  Paul  and  his  work.  Nor  does  he  reappear 
upon  the  scene  until  the  death  of  the  Apostle  of  the  Nations,  to  illumi- 
nate the  last  years  of  the  Apostolic  age  with  the  glory  of  his  Gospel  and 


76  SAINT  PAUL. 

taking  example  by  Paul  whom  lie  loved,^  Peter  treated 
the  converts  from  Heathendom  as  his  brethren,  both 
lodging  and  eating  with  them.  But  it  was  not  long 
before  this  peaceful  brotherhood  was  troubled. 

The  rigorists  by  whom  James  was  surrounded  had 
recovered  from  their  defeat  and  regained  the  upper  hand  ; 
though  forced  by  the  Apostolic  Assembly  to  emancipate 
the  disciples  of  Gentile  extraction,  they  intended  to  see 
to  it  that  the  brethren  born  under  the  Mosaic  régime,  not 
only  in  Jerusalem  but  over  the  whole  world,  should  not 
shake  off  the  yoke  of  their  ancient  Law.  Seeing  that  they 
had  little  reason  for  feeling  reassured  on  this  head  by  the 
commission  confided  to  Juda  and  Silas,  they  resolved  to 
despatch  certain  members  of  their  own  party,  in  order  to 
keep  watch  on  the  Churches  of  Syria,  and  upon  Antioch 
in  particular. 

Even  then  it  had  become  the  custom  for  pastors  to 
give  letters  of  recommendation  to  any  disciples  who  were 
travelling  from  one  Christian  congregation  to  another.^ 
The  Judaizing  emissaries  from  Jerusalem  took  advantage 
of  the  signature  of  James  written  at  the  head  of  their  let- 
ters to  abuse  the  confidence  of  the  Antiochian  Church  ; 
they  gave  themselves  out  as  his  envoys,  and  from  the 
moment  of  their  arrival  in  Syria  openly  declared  what 
was  their  purpose  in  coming.  The  authority  of  the 
Mother  Church  with  which  they  pretended  to  be  in- 
vested, the  well  known  attachment  shown  by  James  for 
the  Law,  which  they  exaggerated  as  much  as  possible  in 
their  discourses,  making  perfidious  use  of  it  in  all  argu- 
ments, —  this  was  enough  to  revive  the  disquiet  and 
agitation  but  lately  dispelled.  Peter  was  among  the  first 
to  take  alarm,  giving  evidence  of  an  excessive  anxiety. 
All  his  life  long,  even  when  under  the  sway  of  God's  grace, 
the  Prince  of  the  Apostles  displayed  the  same  characteris- 
tics, so  far  as  his  instincts  and  temperament  were  con- 
cerned, which  we  find  depicted  in  the  Gospel,  —  a  good 
and  sincere  man,  but  always  as  sudden  as  he  was  gener- 
ous in  his  enthusiasms,  and  thereby  laying  himself  liable 

1  2  Peter  iii.  15.  ^2  Cor.  iii.  1;  Tit.  iii.  13  ;  Acts  xviii.  27. 


THE  ASSEMBLY  OF  JERUSALEM.  77 

to  the  liveliest  impressions,  and  too  often  yielding  to  them 
on  the  spot  ;  —  leaping  from  the  little  ship  with  a  Faith 
which  sustained  his  feet  upon  the  waters,  but  the  next 
moment  a  prey  to  doubts  and  sinking  in  the  sea  ;  on  one 
and  the  same  day  he  proclaims  the  Divinity  of  the  Christ, 
and  then  is  so  far  forgetful  of  his  own  confession  as  to 
rebuke  his  Master  ;  drawing  his  sword  to  defend  Him, 
yet  a  few  hours  later  denying  his  Lord.  Peter  was  to 
be  that  Eock  on  which  rests  the  Church,  simply  because 
the  very  depths  of  his  soul  were  founded  on  Truth  and 
Love;  outside  that  inmost  sanctuary  wherein  the  grace 
of  his  Apostleship  preserved  him  from  any  error  —  in  his 
private  conduct  and  in  the  every-day  course  of  life  —  he 
was  still  the  same  man,  prone  to  vacillate,  and  often  mis- 
taken as  to  the  wisest  plan  to  adopt. 

The  air  of  assurance  shown  by  these  emissaries  from 
Jerusalem  quite  disconcerted  him,  made  him  dread  some 
scandalous  outbreak  on  their  part  ;  for  fear  of  wounding 
their  prejudices,  he  felt  he  ought  to  withdraw  from  his 
present  line  of  conduct,  by  separating  himself  from  his 
Gentile  friends  and  no  longer  eating  with  them.  His 
example  was  enough  to  encourage  the  converted  Jews  to 
do  likewise.  Barnabas  himself,  the  companion  of  the 
Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  in  his  work  of  preaching,  —  even 
Barnabas  allowed  himself  to  be  won  over  to  their  side. 

The  story  as  told  by  Paul  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Gala- 
tians  conveys  the  impression  that  he  was  not  at  once 
informed  of  this  revival  of  past  difficulties  ;  being  ab- 
sent from  Antioch  perhaps,  or,  it  may  be,  distracted  by 
sickness  or  other  cares,  he  had  been  unable  to  foresee  or 
prevent  this  new  rupture.  As  always,  the  approach  of 
danger  gave  him  that  sureness  of  vision  and  vigor  in 
acting  out  his  decision  for  which  he  was  incomparable. 
He  saw  at  a  glance  what  would  be  the  result  of  these 
concessions  and  temporizing  evasions,  "this  hypocrisy"^ 
(the  word  is  his  own);  he  fathomed  their  intention  to 
constrain  the  converted  Pagans  either  to  Judaize  or  to  live 
a  life  apart  in  the  Church,  to  make  (so  to  say)  dissent- 

^  Bapvafias  cvvaTr-fjxQv  avrûy  rfj  viroKpia-ei.     Gal.  ii,  13. 


78  SAINT  PAUL. 

ers  of  them  by  practically  excommunicating  them  from 
the  repasts  partaken  of  in  common.  Instantly  he  made 
up  his  mind  to  fight  this  project  to  the  end.  "  Cephas 
was  blameworthy,"  he  says  tersely,  "  I  withstood  him  to 
his  face."  ^  "  They  were  not  walking  uprightly  according 
to  the  truth  of  the  Gospel.  I  said  to  Cephas  before  them 
all,  '  If  thou  who  art  a  Jew  lives t  like  the  Gentiles  and 
not  like  the  Jews,  how  dost  thou  compel  the  Gentiles  to 
Judaize  ?  '"  ^ 

Paul's  protestation  sufficed  to  quell  the  storm.  Peter 
and  the  circumcised  immediately  took  sides  with  him. 
Deprived  of  their  weapons  by  this  proof  of  brotherly 
harmony,  the  delegates  from  Jerusalem  could  only  make 
the  best  of  their  retreat,  and  hide  their  discomfiture  in 
some  other  surroundings. 

This  act  of  deference  which  the  Head  of  the  Apostles 
showed  toward  his  colleague  is  the  last  feature  of  his 
life  which  Scripture  makes  mention  of  ;  ^  and  surely  it  is 
one  of  his  greatest  glories.  To  be  willing  to  learn  the 
truth  from  a  subordinate,  to  comply  in  all  humility  with 

1  Certain  scholars,  out  of  a  mistaken  respect  for  the  Prince  of  the 
Apostles,  have  fancied  that  the  Cephas  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians 
was  not  S.  Peter,  but  a  mere  disciple.  The  whole  mass  of  Tradition  and 
the  Epistle  itself  are  directly  against  their  conjecture,  for  in  the  latter 
Cephas  is  spoken  of  as  a  noteworthy  personage,  a  pillar  of  the  Church 
at  least  the  equal  of  James,  John,  and  Barnabas,  whom  he  wins  over  to 
his  opinion  (Gal.  ii.  9),  invested  with  such  authority  in  the  eyes  of  the 
Antioch  community  that  Paul  neither  regards  nor  attacks  any  one  but 
him,  "  Petrum  sic  non  reprehendisset  Paulus,"  says  S.  Thomas,  "  nisi 
aliquo  modo  par  esset,  quantum  ad  fidei  defensionem."  Sianrna  TheoL, 
2*  2^^,  q.  33,  a.  4,  ad  2.  See  Vigouroux,  Les  Livres  Samts  et  la  Critique 
rationaliste,  t.  iv.  pp.  536-553. 

2  "  S.  Peter  erred  in  no  wise  in  doctrine  ;  his  Pontifical  Infallibility  is 
not  involved  in  the  matter  ;  it  was  simply  that  he  adopted  a  line  of  con- 
duct which  was  most  inexpedient.  .  .  .  The  whole  story,  Avith  the  details 
of  the  conflict,  far  from  being  irreconcilable  with  the  dignity  of  the 
Head  of  the  Church,  on  the  contrary  heighten  our  notion  of  his  authority 
and  power.  .  .  .  S.  Paul  tells  not  long  before  that  he  went  to  Jerusalem 
to  see  Peter  (or  Cephas  as  it  stands  in  the  Greek),  whom  he  therefore 
regards  as  his  superior.  If  now  he  resists  him,  it  is  not  because  he  dis- 
allows his  authority  ;  his  language  studied  in  this  light  is,  on  the  contrary, 
the  best  testimony  (because  being  indirect  it  is  the  more  valual)le)  he 
could  render  to  the  Primacy  of  the  Holy  See."    Vigouroux,  loc.  cit.,  p.  553. 

3  His  own  two  Epistles  are  the  only  other  vestiges  of  him  to  be  found 
in  Scripture. 


THE  ASSEMBLY  OF  JERUSALEM.  79 

its  dictates,  making  no  reservations,  no  delicate  references 
to  himself  and  his  own  Primacy,  but  thereafter  only  the 
more  tender  in  his  love  for  his  reprover,  however  harsh 
he  may  have  been,  —  all  this  goes  to  make  up  one  of 
those  traits  whereof  only  the  noblest  hearts  are  capable. 
Assuredly  Paul  triumphed  in  this  brief  passage  at  arms, 
and  proved  himself  superior  to  all  the  rest  both  in  the 
correctness  of  his  views  and  the  vigor  of  his  action. 
Morally  Peter's  conduct  rises  far  higher,  and  attains  the 
supreme  greatness, —  that  of  a  soul  which  cherishes  no 
thought  of  self  and  no  love  for  aught  save  the  Truth 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus. 


CHAPTEK  lY. 

SECOND  MISSION.  —  PREACHING  AGAIN  IN  ASIA  MINOR. 

The  departure  of  the  envoys  from  Jerusalem  left 
Antioch  to  itself  and  to  the  current  of  tendencies  which 
from  the  outset  had  been  bearing  the  disciples  onward 
toward  pure  Christianity.  This  deep  stream,  on  which 
they  had  but  ventured  timidly  hitherto,  was  now  opening 
an  ever  widening  prospect  before  them,  —  all  obstacles 
now  overcome,  with  a  clear  course  marked  out  for  them 
by  the  Apostles  and  by  the  Jewish  Church  itself.  '  The 
carriers  of  the  Good  News  could  now  essay  a  freer,  bolder 
flight.  Paul  and  Barnabas  were  at  the  head  of  this  picked 
band  of  Evangelists  ;  around  them  were  Titus,  Mark,  and 
Silas  ;  "  together  with  many  others  they  were  preaching 
and  teaching  the  word  of  the  Lord."  ^  Nowhere  in  the 
history  of  the  Church  of  Antioch,  rich  ks  slie  has  ever 
been  in  glorious  recollections,  will  you  find  another  such 
legion  of  Apostolic  men.  At  the  spectacle  of  this  over- 
flowing tide  of  life,  Paul  soon  began  to  feel  that  his 
presence  here  was  superfluous.  His  eyes  turned  anew 
toward  the  Christian  congregations  of  Asia  Minor,  lying 
so  far  away,  isolated  and  deprived  of  human  help. 

From  the  day  when  he  quitted  their  shores,  aban- 
doning them  to  the  grace  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus,^  no 
tidings  had  come  to  tell  him  what  had  become  of  those 
youthful  communities,  the  first  fruits  of  his  labors  and 
his  dearest  care. 

"Let  us  return,"  he  said  to  Barnabas,  "and  visit  our 
brethren  in  all  the  cities  wherein  we  have  preached  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  and  let  us  see  how  they  are  thriving."  ^ 

1  Acts  XV.  35.  3  Acts  XV.  36. 

2  Acts  xiv.  22. 


SECOND  MISSION.  — IN  ASIA  MINOR  AGAIN.       81 

Barnabas  assented  to  this  plan,  but  on  condition  that 
they  should  start  out,  as  on  the  former  occasion,  in  com- 
pany with  John  Mark. 

Paul  had  not  been  expecting  any  such  proposal.  He 
exclaimed  against  it,  reminding  his  friend  that  this  dis- 
ciple had  left  them  in  Pamphylia  at  the  most  perilous 
stage  of  the  journey.  Mark  had  no  sooner  put  his  hand 
to  the  plough  than  he  had  halted  to  look  backward  ;  ^ 
surely  this  was  just  one  of  those  weak-spirited  souls, 
devoid  of  generosity  and  devotedness,  whom  the  Master 
had  bidden  them  disown.  Then  again,  of  what  use 
would  he  be  to  those  Galatian  Churches  which  he  had 
not  evangelized,  and  of  whose  character  and  needs  he  had 
no  idea  ?  ^  Paul  was  all  the  more  insistent  in  pressing 
these  objections,  since  he  feared  the  influence  which 
Mark  had  exercised  over  Barnabas  from  the  beginning  of 
their  first  mission.  He  recognized  the  fact  that  this 
ascendency  had  but  increased  with  time,  until  now  it  was 
capable  of  acting  as  a  continual  check  upon  his  actions. 
Fully  resolved  to  have  done  with  it,  he  spoke  out  with 
his  usual  blunt  straight-forwardness. 

Such  stern  severity  moved  Barnabas  greatly.  More 
indulgent  toward  his  cousin's  weakness,  understanding 
him  better,  and  having,  with  good  reason  perhaps,  antici- 
pated a  more  generous  reception  of  his  suggestion,  he  set 
about  defending  his  kinsman  with  as  much  vehemence  as 
Paul  had  shown  in  attacking  him.  The  one  defended  his 
position  as  obstinately  as  did  the  other,  until  the  disa- 
greement ended  in  a  quarrel.^  When  matters  came  to 
this  pass,  Saint  Paul  realized  that  he  could  do  no  more 
than  content  himself  with  some  friendly  understand- 
ing by  which  they  should  agree  to  separate.  This  he 
did  with  characteristic  decisiveness,  but  with  a  deeply 
wounded  heart,  for  Barnabas  was  the  friend  of  his  earli- 
est days.     It  was  he  who  had  been  first  to  offer  the  right 

1  Luke  ix.  62.  2  Acts  xv.  38. 

3  This  word  is  none  too  strong  a  translation  of  the  Greek  ■trapo^varfj.és 
(Acts  XV.  39).  "Paulus  severior,  Barnabas  clementior;  iiterque  in  sue 
sensu  abundat  et  tamen  dissensio  habet  aliquid  humanae  fragilitatis." 
S.  Jerome,  Contr.  Pelag.,  ii.  522. 

6 


82  SAINT  PAUL. 

hand  of  fellowship  to  the  new  convert  on  his  arrival  in 
Jerusalem,  he  who  had  introduced  him  into  the  circle  of 
the  Apostles,  he  again  who  sought  him  out  in  Cilicia  in 
order  to  bring  him  back  to  Antioch,  and  there  make  him 
his  associate  in  the  ministry.  Though  placed  by  the 
Elders  at  the  head  of  the  preceding  mission,  Barnabas 
had  effaced  his  personality  in  order  to  magnify  his  com- 
rade's ;  he  had  followed  him  blindly,  braving  dangers 
and  persecutions  ;  to  the  last  he  had  devoted  himself  in 
all  humility  to  their  common  cause.  Such  ties  as  these 
cannot  be  shattered  without  a  heart-breaking  wrench, 
and  Paul  felt  all  its  anguish.  And  nevertheless,  faithful 
and  considerate  as  he  ever  showed  himself  in  matters  of 
friendship,  first  and  foremost  the  Apostle  felt  himself 
bound  to  be  firm  in  his  judgments  and  quick  in  action, 
ready  to  sacrifice  every  personal  tie  which  was  likely  to 
hinder  him  from  being  steadfast  to  his  end  in  view  or 
balk  him  of  attaining  it.  With  souls  of  such  sturdy 
stuff,  to  talk  of  conciliation  or  of  half-measures  at  critical 
junctures  is  simply  to  test  the  tempered  steel  and  expose 
one's  self  to  an  inflexible  resistance. 

The  only  fault  we  can  find  with  Barnabas,  who  had 
been  acquainted  with  Paul  for  so  long  a  time,  is  that  he 
had  neither  foreseen  nor  forestalled  the  rupture  which 
was  sure  to  occur  under  such  circumstances.  As  to  the 
real  question  at  issue  between  them,  —  what  treatment 
Mark  deserved  of  them,  —  the  facts  all  go  to  put  Barna- 
bas entirely  in  the  right  :  little  by  little,  under  the  trans- 
forming touch  of  Grace,  this  same  disciple  who  once  fled 
from  troubles  and  dangers  on  the  Pamphylian  coasts  grew 
to  be  a  man  of  great  heart,  self-forgetful  and  courageous. 
Paul  himself  frankly  recognized  this  loyalty,  when,  some 
ten  years  later,  he  beheld  Mark  coming  to  him  in  his 
prison  at  Kome,  to  assist  him  and  keep  him  company.^ 
Writing  to  the  Colossians,  he  mentions  him  with  grati- 
tude as  among  the  few  faithful  ones  who  at  that  time 
"  labored  with  him  for  the  kingdom  of  God,  —  one  who 
had  been  a  comfort  to  him."^ 

1  Philem.  24.  2  Coloss.  iv.  10,  11. 


SECOND  MISSION.  — IN  ASIA  MINOR  AGAIN.       83 

Barnabas  and  his  comrade,  when  separated  from  Paul 
could  no  longer  think  of  doing  mission  work  in  Asia 
Minor  ;  they  therefore  turned  toward  Cyprus,  where  the 
converted  Jews  had  an  equal  right  to  be  visited  and 
confirmed  in  the  Faith.  Once  among  the  old  scenes, 
Barnabas  engaged  in  a  ministry  which  was  all  the  more 
active  because  of  the  liberty  that  had  been  given  him. 
For  the  rest,  he  continued  to  evangelize  the  country  after 
the  same  fashion  as  hitherto,  refusing  any  assistance 
from  pious  Christians  such  as  accompanied  the  other 
Apostles,  working  with  his  own  hands  in  order  not  to  be 
a  burden  upon  the  little  congregations.^  His  gentleness 
in  speaking  comforted  and  revived  timid  souls  who  might 
perhaps  have  been  crushed  by  Paul's  tremendous  dash 
and  vigor.  Cyprus  owed  to  him  the  establishment  of 
many  and  numerous  communities,  which  afterwards 
united  and  formed  in  time  a  celebrated  Church.  If  we 
may  credit  certain  legends,  the  Apostle,  who  was  ever 
faithful  to  his  fatherland,^  returned  thither  to  die,  and, 
a  vision  having  revealed  his  burial  place,  there  was 
found,  lying  on  his  breast,  the  Gospel  of  Saint  Matthew, 
which  hq  had  copied  with  his  own  hand.^ 

If  the  doings  of  Barnabas's  later  years  aroused  little 
attention  outside  of  Cyprus,  at  least  his  teaching  seems 
to  have  been  held  in  great  renown  ;  for  about  the  end  of 
the  first  century,  a  Christian  of  Alexandria,  when  pub- 
lishing a  commentary  on  texts  from  Scripture,  could 
think  of  no  better  way  of  lending  it  authority  than  by 
attributing  his  work  to  this  Apostle.*  His  pious  forgery 
was  crowned  with  complete  success  ;  all  the  ancients, 
and  the  Alexandrian  Fathers  in  particular,  regarded  this 

1  1  Cor.  ix.  5,  6. 

'^  "  Joseph,  surnamed  by  the  Apostles  Barnabas  (that  is  to  say,  Son  of 
Consolation),  who  was  a  Lévite  and  a  native  of  Cvprus."     Acts  iv.  36. 

^  Ada  Apostolorum  Apocri/pha,  Tischendorf's  edition  (1851),  64-74; 
Assemani,  Bibliotheca   Orient.,  ii.  81. 

*  The  allegorical  interpretations  of  Scripture  with  which  this  epistle 
abounds,  and  the  favor  it  enjoyed  among  the  Alexandrian  Christians, 
indicate  that  it  was  composed  by  one  of  themselves,  toward  the  close  of 
the  first  century  according  to  some  critics  (Wieseler,  Riggenbach,  Lut- 
hardt,  Weizsacker,  Hilgenfeld)  ;  according  to  others,  at  the  beginning  of 
the  second  (Hefele,  Volckmar,  Gratz,  Jost,  Harnack). 


M  SAINT  PAUL. 

document  as  authentic,^  doubtless  because  they  recog- 
nized here  and  there  famous  passages  from  the  sermons 
of  Barnabas.2  Underneath  the  mass  of  allegorical  inter- 
pretations with  which  the  letter  falsely  attributed  to  this 
Apostle  is  overloaded,  one  can  just  distinguish  the  foun- 
dation of  that  doctrine  which  had  won  for  him  such 
great  renown.  Sometimes  we  encounter  the  thoughts 
and  even  the  wording  of  Paul,  which  Barnabas  makes 
his  own  :  — 

"  Everything  is  in  Jesus  and  for  Jesus.  —  Through  for- 
giveness of  sins  and  hope  in  the  Lord  are  we  renewed  and 
wholly  recreated.  —  God  truly  dwelleth  within  us.  —  In 
us  He  prophesies,  in  us  He  abides,  and  this  habitation, 
this  holy  temple  consecrated  to  the  Lord,  is  our  heart.  — 
In  order  that  you  may  understand  me,  I  write  in  all  sim- 
plicity, —  I  who  am  the  oflscouring  of  your  charity."  ^ 

1  Although  the  ancient  authorities  are  unanimous  in  admitting  the 
authenticity  of  this  epistle,  the  majority  of  modern  scholars  refuse  to 
accept  it  as  genuine,  and  with  good  reason  on  their  side  ;  for  it  is  impos- 
sible to  conceive  of  an  Apostle  and  a  companion  of  S.  Paul  speaking  of 
the  Jewish  Law  in  such  erroneous  terms.  If  we  are  to  believe  this  writer, 
God's  Covenant  with  the  Jews  had  been  made  void  and  valueless  because 
it  was  immediately  violated  by  the  latter  ;  hence  all  the  precepts  concern- 
ing sacrifices,  fasts,  circumcision,  the  Sabbath,  and  distinction  between 
meats,  had  never  been  obligatory  ;  the  duty  of  all  true  Israelites  was 
limited  to  understanding  these  commandments  in  a  spiritual  sense.  Be- 
side tliis  decisive  reason  for  rejecting  it,  Hefele  brings  forward  seven  other 
arguments  against  the  genuineness  of  the  epistle.  Patres  Apostolici,  p.  14; 
cf,  Hilgenfeld,  Die  Apostolischen  Vdter  ;  Millier,  Erkldrung  des  Barnabas- 
briejes. 

2  I  have  no  hesitation  about  presenting  this  hypothesis,  however  novel 
and  arbitrary  it  may  seem  to  some,  because  it  explains  in  the  likeliest 
manner  how  it  came  about  tliat  the  authenticity  of  this  letter,  now  rejected 
by  modern  scholars,  was  admitted  as  incontestable  in  early  ages. 

3  Funk,  Opera  Patrum  Apostolicornm,  t.  i,  Epist.  Barnabœ.  "  In  ipso 
[Christo]  sunt  omnia  et  in  ipsum  .  ,  ,"  xii.  7.  ["  Ex  ipso  et  per  ipsum 
et  in  ipso  sunt  omnia,"  Rom,  xi.  36.  "  Propter  quem  omnia  et  per  quem 
omnia."  Heb.  ii.  10,  etc.]  "Accepta  remissione  peccatorum  et  spe  habita 
in  nomen  Domini  facti  sumus  novi,  iterum  ab  integro  creati  :  ideo  in  nobis, 
in  domicilio  nostro  vere  Deus  habitat.  .  ,  ,  Ipse  in  nobis  prophetat  .  .  . 
Hoc  est  templum  Domino  constructum  .  ,  ,"  xvi.  8-10.  "  Templum 
sanctum  .  .  .  Domino  est  habitatio  cordis  nostri  ,  .  ."  vi.  15.  [Cf,  2Cor. 
V.  17;  Eph.  ii.  10;  2  Cor.  iv,  16;  Col.  iii.  10;  Heb.  vi.  6;  Gal,  vi,  15; 
Eph,  ii.  15;  iv.  24;  1  Cor.  iii.  16,  17;  2  Cor.  vi.  16,  etc.]  "  Simplicius 
vobis  scribo,  ut  intelligatis,  ego  peripsema  caritatis  vestrae."  vi.  5.  ["  Tan- 
quam  purgamenta  hujus  secundi  facti  sumus,  omnium  peripsema  usque 
adhuc."    1  Cor.  iv.  13.] 


SECOND  MISSION. -'IN  ASIA  MINOR  AGAIN.       85 

But  there  is  something  more  characteristic  than  Paul's 
influence,  and  that  is  the  goodness  of  heart  which  was 
the  most  distinctive  trait  in  Barnabas's  character.  You 
come  upon  traces  of  it  throughout  this  little  treatise  ;  its 
spirit  penetrates  it  in  all  its  parts,  illuminating  the  old 
work  with  a  soft  and  steady  glow:  — 

"Child  of  gladness,  know  that  the  good  Lord  hath 
unveiled  all  things  unto  us  before  they  come  to  pass.  — ■ 
In  few  words  will  I  point  out  unto  you  the  means  of 
being  happy  in  this  present  time.  ...  Be  gentle,  be 
peaceable  !  —  My  foremost  thought  in  writing  you  is  to 
establish  your  souls  in  gladness.  Hail,  son  of  peace  and 
of  affection. 1     Live  in  the  joy  of  the  heart."  ^ 

It  is  most  likely  that  this  fairly  represents  the  preach- 
ing of  Barnabas  as  a  whole.  To  Paul  he  leaves  the  task 
of  elucidating  the  profound  mysteries  of  his  theology, 
content  himself  if  only  he  can  present  the  Gospel  under 
a  winning  and  charming  guise,  showing  mankind  what 
happiness  is  to  be  found  in  Love  Everlasting. 

The  Apostolic  work  of  Mark,  Barnabas's  comrade,  is 
better  known  to  us.  We  shall  soon  meet  him  again  at 
Rome  with  Paul  the  prisoner.  Up  to  this  date  two  salient 
facts  make  up  the  history  of  his  life-work  :  his  preach- 
ing of  the  Gospel  in  Egypt,  and  his  written  record  of 
Peter's  preaching  as  it  stands  in  the  Second  Gospel. 
Relying  on  Eusebius's  testimony,  it  has  seemed  requisite 
to  date  these  two  events  before  the  Council  at  Jerusalem.^ 
Most  modern  scholars  would  delay  the  composition  of  the 
Gospel  for  some  ten  years,  —  "to  the  time  w^hen  Peter 
and  Paul  preached  in  Rome."  *  Whichever  opinion  you 
adopt,  it  matters  little,  after  all  is  said,  since  it  in  no  wise 
alters  the  general  aspect  of  his  history,  and  Mark's  own 
portrait  is  still  the  same  as  depicted  in  the  Acts  :  of  too 
strong  a  personality  to  sink  himself,  very  little  inclined 
to  obey  and  follow  Paul  in  what  he  deemed  his  fool- 
hardiness  ;  preferring  to  work  with  men  more  notable  for 

^  Funk,  Epistola  Barnàbœ,  vii.  1  ;  xix.  4  ;  xxi.  9. 
'■i  Ibid.,  i.  6. 

3  See  Saint  Peter,  ch.  xx.  p.  379,  and  Appendix  III. 
*  S.  Irenœus,  Adv.  Hœres.,  iii.  1. 


86  SAINT  PAUL. 

goodness  than  for  energy,  men  like  Barnabas  and  Peter  ; 
while,  notwithstanding  all  this,  from  his  intimacy  with 
these  great-hearted  leaders,  he  is  ever  growing  in  spiritual 
stature,  till  at  last  he  comes  to  understand  and  love  the 
Apostle  of  the  Nations,  finally  becoming  one  of  his  trus- 
tiest disciples. 

Paul's  physical  infirmities,  and  his  reluctance  to  live 
and  suffer  in  loneliness,  made  it  impossible  for  him  to 
J  depart  without  a  fellow  traveller.  His  choice  was  made 
'^  with  characteristic  promptness  :  he  fixed  upon  Silas,  the 
envoy  from  Jerusalem,  who  had  left  home  and  all  things 
to  be  in  his  company.  This  disciple  was  ranked  among 
the  Prophets.  He  was  a  generous  and  whole-souled  char- 
acter, untainted  by  the  narrow  prejudices  of  Jewry.  Like 
John  Mark,  a  member  of  the  Mother  Church,  he  had  been 
granted  the  grace  and  authority  to  testify  to  the  approba- 
tion which  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  had  received  from 
Jerusalem.  Beside  these  advantages,  Silas  enjoyed  a  privi- 
lege of  immense  utility  for  the  hazardous  life  of  Gospel 
work  he  was  now  embarking  upon.  Like  Paul,  he  was  a 
Koman  citizen,^  and  we  shall  see  shortly  what  good  use 
he  makes  of  this  title  to  thwart  his  persecutors.  A  meet- 
ing of  the  brethren  of  Antioch  was  called  to  add  solemnity 
to  the  leave-taking  of  the  two  missionaries  ;  and  as  at 
the  outset  of  the  first  undertaking,^  prayers  were  said 
"whereby  they  were  confided  to  the  grace  of  God."^ 

Paul  and  Silas  began  by  visiting  the  Christian  com- 
munities established  along  the  coasts  of  Syria  and  in  the 
valley  of  the  Orontes  ;  thereafter  wending  their  way 
northwards,  they  passed  through  the  Syrian  Gates,*  a 
long  defile  which  crosses  the  Amanus  chain,  at  an  eleva- 
tion of  three  thousand  feet,  thus  connecting  Syria  with 
the  plains  of  Cilicia.     The  road  thus  taken  by  the  Apos- 

1  The  Latin  name  of  Silvanus,  which  S.  Paul,  even  in  his  first  Epistles 
(2  Thess.  i.  1  ;  2  Cor.  i.  19),  gives  Silas,  would  lead  us  to  infer  that  this 
disciple  had  been  living  for  some  time  in  the  Roman  world  ;  perhaps  he 
was  born  there. 

2  Acts  xiv.  25. 
8  Acts  XV.  40. 

*  This  mountain  road  is  known  nowadays  as  the  "Beylan  Pass."     ^ 


SECOND  MISSION.  — IN  ASIA  MINOR  AGAIN.       87 

ties  descends  to  the  Gulf  of  Issus  ;  a  city  of  the  same 
name,  Alexandria  (another  reminiscence  of  the  Mace- 
donian conquest),  Mopsuestia,  and  Adana  were  the  large 
towns  which  they  had  to  pass  through  on  the  journey 
Tarsus-ward.  In  all  of  them  probably  they  met  faithful 
friends,  for  this  portion  of  Cilicia  would  be  the  most  likely 
missionary  field  for  Saint  Paul,  as  it  is  easily  reached 
from  either  Tarsus^  or  Antioch.^  These  Christian  con- 
gregations, as  near  neighbors  of  the  Syrian  Churches, 
had  kept  up  friendly  relations  with  them,  cherishing  the 
same  opinions  and  the  same  doctrine.  For  this  reason, 
when  the  zealots  began  to  disquiet  Antioch  concerning 
Circumcision,  the  excitement  straightway  communicated 
itself  to  the  several  communities  in  Cilicia,  and  aroused 
such  fears  that  the  Mother  Church,  when  writing  to  the 
Christians  of  Syria,  directed  their  epistle  to  those  of  Cili- 
cia also,  in  order  to  instruct  and  reassure  them.^  Paul 
had  the  great  joy  of  bearing  in  person  throughout  Cilicia 
these  Apostolic  letters  which  authorized  his  teaching. 
It  was  a  triumph  for  his  Gospel  certainly,  but  to  his 
mind  the  main  thing  was  that  it  emancipated  men's 
souls  only  to  unite  them  in  purer  and  closer  intimacy  in 
the  bonds  of  Christ  Jesus.  Seeing  that  Tarsus,  his  old 
home,  was  now  firmly  grounded  in  the  Faith,  and  that 
the  other  congregations  of  these  parts  were  as  well  in- 
structed, he  proceeded  on  his  appointed  course  toward 
the  distant  Churches  of  Galatia,  and  started  out  to  cross 
the  mountain  passes  of  the  Taurus. 

This  extended  chain  of  mountains,  which  is  the  parti- 
tion wall  between  the  southern  shores  of  Asia  Minor  and 

1  Beside  his  infancy  passed  in  Tarsus,  Paul  had  again  resided  "  in  the 
lands  of  Syria  and  Cilicia,"  when,  three  years  after  his  conversion,  he  was 
forced  to  leave  Jerusalem  (Gal.  i.  21,  Acts  ix.  30).  Again  it  was  to  Tarsus 
that  Barnabas  went  in  search  of  him,  in  order  to  conduct  him  to  Antioch. 
(Acts  xi.  25.) 

2  Thrice  already  had  Paul  preached  the  Gospel  for  a  considerable 
period  in  Antioch  and  the  outlying  countryside.  Acts  xi,  25,  26  ;  xii.  24 
et  seq  ;  xiv.  27. 

3  i^he  Apostolic  Letter  is  addressed  thus:  "The  Apostles  and  the 
■  Elders  and  the  brethren  to  the  brethren  from  among  the  Nations  who  are 
at  Antioch  and  in  Syria  and  in  Cilicia  :  Greeting  !  "     Acts  xv.  23. 


88  SAINT  PAUL. 

the  table-lands  of  the  central  section,  was  already  a  fa- 
miliar feature  to  the  Apostle's  eyes  :  twice  before  this  he 
had  crossed  it,  during  his  first  missionary  journey.  But 
the  Taurus  Mountains  of  Pamphylia  are  not  to  be  com- 
pared with  these  Cilician  peaks  for  savage  ruggedness. 
The  long  passage  which  winds  between  the  latter  is  like 
a  huge  cleft  in  the  mountain,  and  the  ancients  gave  it  the 
name  of  Pyles  or  the  Cilician  Gates.-^  This  road,  after 
leaving  Tarsus,  skirts  the  banks  of  the  Cydnus  between 
ramparts  of  wooded  hills  ;  it  is  not  long  before  these 
heights  are  stripped  of  their  verdure,  and  the  valley  grad- 
ually narrows,  the  naked  rocks  rise  ever  steeper  and 
higher  till  they  form  a  gorge  so  strait  that  in  times  of 
war  the  way  was  guarded  by  gates.  ^  Hemmed  between 
two  titanic  walls,  battered  and  broken  into  by  the  moun- 
tain torrents  which  rush  along  beside  it,  the  road  creeps 
along  the  narrow  trail  up  to  the  very  ridge  of  Taurus  ;  ^ 
thence  one  of  its  branches  ascends  northwaM  towards 
Tyana,  the  other,  dipping  down  to  the  west,  brings  the 
traveller  to  Derb'é,  Lystra,  and  Iconium.  This  savage 
defile,  one  of  the  most  terrifying  spots  to  be  found  in 
any  mountainous  district,  connects  Asia  Minor  (and 
thereby  all  Europe)  with  Syria  ;  consequently  it  has  been 
a  noted  route  at  all  periods  of  the  world's  history.  Cyrus 
and  Alexander,  Komans,  Saracens,  and  Crusaders,*  have 

1  Now  called  Gidek-Boghaz. 

2  "  In  1836,  Ibrahim-Pasha,  the  conqueror  of  Nizib,  had  strongly  fortified 
the  Gulek-Boghaz  to  bar  the  road  against  any  Turkish  troops;  further- 
more all  the  foot-paths  which  cross  the  ridge  Avere  rendered  impracticable 
by  ingenious  outworks  ;  the  whole  (vilician  Taurus  was  thus  transformed 
into  an  impregnable  fortress.  .  .  .  Above  the  road  which  penetrates  into 
the  Gulek-Boghaz  the  traveller  can  clearly  distinguish  the  remains  of  an 
ancient  highway  carved  from  the  rock  by  the  AssA^rians  or  Persians  ;  in 
the  narrowest  part  of  the  gorge  are  to  be  seen  the  ruins  of  an  altar  and 
two  votive  tablets,  though  their  inscriptions  are  now  effaced  ;  there  are 
also  the  steps  of  the  stairway  above  which  were  set  the  gates  that  were 
closed  in  time  of  war."  Reclus,  Géographie  Universelle,  L'Asie  Anté- 
rieure, t.  ix.  pp.  473,  474. 

3  The  defile  properly  speaking  terminates  at  a  point  4,000  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea,  on  a  small  plateau  about  5,000  feet  in  extent.  Be- 
yond this,  the  road  mounts  through  still  other  gorges  up  to  the  summit  of 
the  Taurus,  whence  it  descends  gradually  into  the  wide  plain  of  Lycaonia. 

*  The  Crusaders  were  so  struck  by  the  perils  of  this  pass  that  they  gave 
it  the  sinister  name  of  The  Gates  of  Judas. 


SECOND  MISSION.  — IN  ASIA  MINOR  AGAIN       89 

traversed  it  in  their  turn.  It  is  more  than  likely  that 
during  the  Eoman  occupation,  here  as  elsewhere,  the 
countless  bands  of  legionaries  were  set  to  work  at  level- 
ing the  highway,  for  Cicero  established  his  headquar- 
ters on  the  highlands  at  the  outlet  of  the  gorge  in  order 
to  be  able  at  one  and  the  same  time  to  protect  his  own 
Province  of  Oilicia  while  keeping  the  upper  hand  of 
Cappadocia.^ 

Four  or  five  days'  journey  ^  across  these  wild  regions 
brought  the  two  Apostles  to  the  foot  of  Kara  Dagh,  in  the 
midst  of  the  Christian  congregations  of  Lycaonia.  They 
found  them  peaceful,  full  of  zeal,  and  largely  increased 
in  point  of  members.  In  their  gladness  at  seeing  their 
great  Apostle  once  more  among  them,  these  faithful  fol- 
lowers paid  little  heed  to  the  absence  of  Barnabas.  Paul, 
in  the  former  mission,  had  so  far  swayed  their  minds  and 
hearts,  that  they  had  no  room  left  for  any  one's  else 
words  or  authority;  he  was  the  one  whom  every  one 
remembered,  and  now  their  joy  was  unfeigned  at  being 
able  to  see  and  hear  him  again. 

He  gave  his  first  cares  to  Derbë,  thence  passed  on 
to  Lystra,  where  Heaven  was  preparing  for  him  that 
help  which  his  loving  heart  could  not  do  without,  — 
the  one  faithful  friend  who  was  to  be  thereafter  his 
support  amid  the  trials  of  his  Apostleship,  soothing  his 
soul  with  what  the  scriptural  Sage  has  called  "a  balm 
of  life  and  immortality."  ^  In  the  season  of  that  first 
mission  we  encountered  a  Jewish  household  consisting 
of  a  venerable  grandam  named  Lois,  her  daughter 
Eunice,  with  the   latter's   young   son   Timothy.*     These 

1  "Iter  in  Ciliciam  feci  per  Tauri  pylas."  Cicero,  Ep.  ad  Att.,  v.  20. 
"In  Cappadocia  extrema  non  longe  a  Tauro  apud  oppidum  Cybistra 
castra  feci,  ut  et  Ciliciam  tuerer  et  Cappadociam  tenens  nova  finitimorum 
consilia  impedirem."  Ep.  ad  Fam.,  xv.  4.  Cybistra,  where  Cicero  took 
up  his  quarters,  is  not  far  from  Derbë. 

_  2  Though  the  distance  from  Derbë  to  Adana  is  less  than  a  hundred 
miles,  Major  Rennell  reckons  that  it  would  take  at  least  forty  hours  to 
make  it.  It  took  Mr.  Ainsworth,  in  the  month  of  November,  six  days  to 
go  from  Iconium  to  Adana  (Conybeare  and  Howson,  vol.  i.  p.  306,  note  1). 

^  "  Amicus  fidelis  medicamentum  vitae  et  immortalitatis,  et  qui  metuunt 
Dominum  invenient  ilium."     Eccl.  vi.  16. 

*  See  Chapter  II.  p.  43. 


90  SAINT  PAUL. 

two  women  were  fervent  Israelites,  for  Saint  Paul  praises 
them  for  the  sincerity  of  their  Faith,!  as  well  as  for  the 
pains  they  had  taken  to  ground  Timothy  in  a  knowledge 
of  the  Holy  Books.^  Howbeit,  their  devotion  to  Mosaism, 
as  was  often  the  case  among  the  Jews  of  the  Dispersion, 
was  more  a  matter  of  the  spirit  than  the  letter,  since 
they  went  so  far  in  their  compromise  as  to  disregard  cer- 
tain points  which  in  Judea  were  held  most  sacred  and 
inviolable,  to  wit,  the  prohibition  of  mixed  marriages  and 
the  observance  of  Circumcision.  For  Eunice  herself  had 
married  a  Pagan,^  and  had  so  far  yielded  to  his  preju- 
dices as  to  refrain  from  circumcising  their  son.  On  that 
earlier  visit  Paul  had  found  it  an  easy  task  to  win  over 
hearts  so  well  disposed;  he  converted  the  two  Jewesses 
and  baptized  the  boy  Timothy.*  On  his  departure  he 
confided  to  these  pious  women,  who  had  so  well  grasped 
the  spirit  of  the  Law,  the  duty  of  fostering  the  seeds  of 
truth  he  had  planted  in  the  heart  of  the  lad,  and  of 
developing  and  nourishing  in  his  soul  the  life  of  Jesus. 

On  his  return  he  recognized  that  this  season  of  growth 
and  formation  had  been  well  employed;  Timothy  was 
now  arrived  "at  the  estate  of  perfect  manhood,  in  the 
fulness  of  the  Christ,"^  rendered  as  lovable  by  the  gifts 
of  grace  as  by  those  of  nature.  A  great  longing  awoke 
in  the  heart  of  the  Apostle  to  have  him  for  a  companion 
in  his  labors  ;  he  would  not  yield  to  it,  however,  without 
taking  the  advice  of  the  Churches  in  whose  midst  Tim- 

1  2  Tim.  i.  5. 

2  2  Tim.  iii.  15. 

^  The  fact  that  neither  the  Acts  nor  Epistles  make  any  mention  of 
Timothy's  father  would  lead  us  to  infer  that  the  Gentile  parent  died 
while  his  son  was  still  a  child.  What  was  the  origin  of  the  Jewish  woman 
he  had  made  his  wife?  Perhaps  she  belonged  to  the  colony  which  Antio- 
chus,  three  centuries  earlier,  had  transported  from  Babylon  into  Phrygia 
(Josephus,  Antiq,  Jud.,  xii.  iii.  4),  or  perhaps  to  one  of  those  wandering 
families,  so  numerous  in  Israel,  which  travelled  everywhere  in  the  known 
world,  hoping  to  better  themselves  in  business,  and  finally  settling  in  the 
localities  which  seemed  most  favorable  to  their  various  trades, 

*  By  styling  him  "  my  own  son  in  the  Faith,"  yurjaicp  r4KV(p  èv  iritrrti 
(1  Tim.  i.  2),  Paul  would  have  us  understand  that  he  had  initiated  him 
into  the  Christian  Faith. 

s  Eph.  iv.  13.  . 


SECOND  MISSION.  — IN  ASIA  MINOR  AGAIN.       91 

othy  liad  grown  up.  Not  content  with  the  kindly  testi- 
monials which  the  brethren  at  Lystra  were  only  too  glad 
to  give  to  the  young  disciple,  he  desired  to  know  the 
opinion  of  the  congregations  at  Iconiuin  ;  ^  but  there  was 
no  dissenting  voice  in  the  chorus  of  commendation.  So 
Paul  hesitated  no  longer  ;  not  only  did  he  proceed  to 
make  Timothy  an  associate  in  his  work,  but  then  and 
there,  by  conferring  on  him  the  priesthood,  he  raised  him 
to  the  rank  of  a  Pastor  in  the  Church.^  This  chosen 
disciple,  young  as  he  was,  had  already  shown  himself  as 
sturdy  as  he  was  fearless  in  the  holy  warfare  for  the 
Faith  ;  the  profession  which  he  had  but  lately  made  in 
the  presence  of  numerous  witnesses  had  been  a  memo- 
rable occurrence  to  all  ;  ^  on  their  part,  the  prophets  of 
Lycaonia,  enlightened  from  above,  had  designated  him 
for  the  priesthood.^  Paul  gathered  about  him  the  priests 
whom  Barnabas  and  he  had  consecrated  during  their 
first  missionary  labors,  and  all  together  laid  their  hands 
on  the  son  of  Eunice.^  God's  grace  descended  on  that 
day  in  such  wondrous  wise  that  the  Apostle  could  never 
forget  the  event  ;  in  his  very  last  hours  he  alludes  to  it 
again,  likening  it  to  a  flame  which  had  fastened  on  the 
heart  of  his  disciple,  altogether  burning  away  that  "spirit 
of  fear"  which  belonged  to  the  Old  Covenant,  leaving 
naught  behind  save  the  pure  spirit  of  Jesus,  "the  spirit 
of  strength,  of  love,  and  of  wisdom."^ 

Paul,  while  rejoicing  in  the  fact  that  his  young  dis- 

1  "  Huic  testimonium  bonum  reddebant  qui  in  Lystris  erant  et  Iconio 
fratres."     Acts  xvi.  2. 

2  "  To  him  S.  Paul  intrusted  (so  says  S.  John  Chrysostom)  the  entire 
management  and  responsibility  of  the  preaching  office,  although  he  was 
so  young,  insomuch  that  he  was  made  at  once  disciple  and  master. 
Again,  it  would  seem  to  be  S.  Chrysostom's  opinion  that  Timothy  was 
made  a  Bishop  immediately  after  his  circumcision."  Tillemont,  Mémoires 
pour^  servir  a  l'Histoire  Ecclésiastique,  t.  ii.,  8.  Timothée.  The  common 
opinion  is  that  Timothy's  ordination  took  place  on  this  occasion. 

3  1  Tim.  vi.  12. 

*  1  Tim.  i.  18;  iv.  14. 

s  1  Tim.  iv.  14;  2  Tim.  i.  6. 
^  6  'Ava/xinvna-Kco  ire  àvaCuirvpeîv  rh  x'^P^o'fia  rod  @(ov,  '6  iffriv  iv  ffoï  Sià 
T7JS  éwLdéaçœs  rSiv  x^ipwv  ixov  •    ov  yap  ^Smkcu  7]ix7v  à  0ebs  nved/xa  SeiXias, 
àwà  Swd/j-ews  Kal  àydnrjs  Kal  (ra}<ppovi<T/u.ov.     2  Tim.  i.  6,  7. 


^2  SAINT  PAUL, 

ciple  was  so  free  from  the  fetters  of  Judaism,  could  not 
help  apprehending  that  serious  difficulties  would  result, 
since  the  lad  was  not,  like  Titus,  of  unmixed  Pagan  blood. 
As  an  uncircumcised  Jew,  and  well  known  to  be  such,  it 
would  be  impossible  for  Timothy  either  to  speak  in  the 
synagogues,  or  associate  with  his  brethren  of  Israel.  Now 
the  Apostle's  plan  was  to  continue  acting  as  heretofore, 
first  preaching  to  the  Jews,  thereafter  to  the  Gentiles. 
His  resolution  was  speedily  made  :  "  Taking  Timothy,  he 
himself  circumcised  him  because  of  the  Jews  who  were 
in  those  parts,  and  because  all  were  aware  that  his  father 
was  a  Pagan."  ^  Energetically  as  he  had  refused  to  sub- 
ject Titus  to  the  Mosaic  rite,  since  such  a  concession 
would  have  been  a  triumph  for  the  Judaizers,  yet  under 
the  present  circumstances  he  showed  how  willing  he 
was  to  conciliate  his  countrymen,  when  no  question  of 
principle  was  at  stake.  The  outward  rite  seemed  to  him 
of  small  value  ;  what  he  would  not  tolerate  at  any  price 
was  the  imposition  of  it  as  a  necessary  means  of  salva- 
tion. "Circumcision  is  nothing,"  he  repeated,  "neither 
is  Uncircumcision  ;  the  one  great  thing  is  to  obey  the 
commandments  of  God."  ^ 

After  being  thus  declared  a  man  of  unblemished  char- 
acter, —  without  reproach  before  Israel,  as  the  phrase 
was,  —  Timothy  could  accompany  his  master  wherever 
he  went,  "aiding  him  in  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel 
as  a  child  waits  on  his  father  "  ;  ^  and  from  that  day 
he  became  the  dearest  and  truest  one  among  Paul's 
comrades.  The  characters  of  the  two  men  harmonized 
to  a  remarkable  degree,  different  as  they  were  in  many 
respects.  To  tell  the  truth,  Timothy  was  not  one  to 
hasten  into  action,  like  Paul  when  prompted  by  his 
natural  impetuosity  ;  of  a  gentler  temperament,*  prone 
to  shed  tears  and  a  prey  to  strong  emotions,^  he  never 
faced  the  enemy  in  open  battle  without  a  feeling  of 
repugnance  ;  it  was  his  instinct  rather  to  hold  back  under 

1  Acts  xvi.  3.  *  1  Tim.  y.  23. 

2  1  Cor.  vii.  19.  6  2  Tim.  i.  4. 

3  Philip,  ii.  22. 


SECOND  MISSION.— IN  ASIA  MINOR  AGAIN.       93 

the  influence  of  a  timorous  reserve  ;  ^  but  if  his  soul 
never  gloried  in  splendid  outbursts  of  power  like  his 
master,  it  was  at  least  admirable  for  its  perfect  candor 
and  absolute  unselfishness.  It  was  this  frank  generosity 
shining  out  in  every  word  and  deed  of  Timothy  which 
drew  the  Apostle  of  the  Nations  so  strongly  to  the  young 
man.  "  I  have  no  one,"  Paul  affirms,  "  who  is  so  at  one 
with  me  in  heart  and  soul  as  he."^  In  this  intimacy, 
so  dear  to  both  friends,  the  manly  spirit  of  the  Apostle 
impregnated  Timothy  with  something  of  the  strength  of 
his  own  thoughts  and  teachings  ;  while,  in  return,  he 
received  from  this  youthful  brother  in  Christ  that  tender 
affection  which  the  sternest  geniuses  often  feel  the  need 
of.2  Unlike  the  Apostles  who  were  accompanied  and 
ministered  to  by  the  sisterhood,  Paul  would  take  none 
but  brethren  for  his  companions.'^  Heaven  had  given 
him  at  last  a  friend  of  spotless  soul,  of  lofty  mind, 
capable  not  only  of  understanding  his  highest  views,  but, 
better  still,  of  adopting  them  so  thoroughly  that  his  mas- 
ter regarded  him  as  his  other  self,  "  the  one  same  soul,"  ^ 
as  he  once  put  it. 

Nevertheless  these  intellectual  gifts  were  not  what 
made  Timothy's  companionship  precious  to  Paul,  so 
much  as  it  was  the  tenderness  of  his  heart.  Often  in 
the  painful  crises  of  his  malady,  in  the  trials  of  all 
descriptions  which  met  him  at  every  step  of  his  min- 
istry, the  Apostle,  feeling  himself  at  the  end  of  his  powers 
of  resistance,  would  cast  about  for  some  coign  of  refuge 
and  momentary  refreshment  of  soul.    Timothy  was  always 


1  1  Tim.  iv.  12,  16  ;  v.  20,  21  ;  vi.  11,  14  ;  2  Tim.  ii.  1-7. 

2  Philip,  ii.  20.  "Thou  hast  followed,"  he  tells  him,  in  the  last  days  of 
his  life,  "  thou  hast  fully  comprehended  my  teaching,  the  end  for  which 
I  strive,  my  faith,  my  forbearance,  my  charity,  my  patience."  2  Tim. 
iii.  10. 

3  There  is  hardly  one  such  great  soul  that  has  not  felt  the  influence  of 
loving  hearts,  whether  of  parents  or  friends.  S.  Monica  played  this  part 
in  the  life  of  S.  Augustine,  S.  Chantai  in  that  of  S.  Francis  de  Sales, 
Mme.  de  Swetchine  in  Lacordaire's.  No  woman  could  obtain  such  an  as- 
cendency over  S.  Paul,  since  he  had  none  but  men  for  his  companions. 

*  1  Cor.  ix.  5,  6. 

5  OùSéya  7op  cx«  1(t6^vxov.     Philip,  ii.  20. 


94  SAINT  PAUL. 

ready  on  the  instant  to  tender  him  sympathy  and  com- 
fort, putting  aside  everything  to  devote  himself  to  the 
master.  He  remained  with  him  during  almost  the  whole 
period  of  his  second  missionary  journey,  and  followed 
him  to  Ephesus,  to  Jerusalem,  and  to  Eome.^  Accord- 
ingly, to  the  last  days  of  his  life,  Paul's  affection  for  this 
comrade  in  trial  and  trouble  remained  what  it  was  from 
the  first,  the  love  of  a  father  for  his  son.  Timothy 
was  no  longer  a  youth  when  the  Apostle,  so  soon  to  die, 
wrote  him  his  second  letter;  but  in  a  father's  eyes  his 
son  never  grows  old,  and  Paul  still  addresses  him  in  the 
same  terms  he  used  long  before,  on  their  leaving  Lystra. 

There  is  reason  to  believe  that  Timothy  was  circum- 
cised and  consecrated  to  the  work  at  Iconium  ;  for,  as  we 
have  seen,  Paul  was  unwilling  to  make  him  one  of  the 
missionary  band  until  after  having  consulted  the  faithful 
members  of  that  Christian  community.^  The  Apostle 
was  thus  in  the  very  midst  of  the  Churches  founded 
during  his  former  sojourn  hereabouts;  and  he  proceeded 
to  visit  them  all,  from  Derbë  as  far  as  Antioch  in  Pisidia. 
"  Going  from  town  to  town,  he  gave  them  as  a  rule  of 
conduct  the  decrees  passed  by  the  Apostles  and  Elders  of 
Jerusalem.  Thus  the  Churches  were  fortified  in  the 
Faith,  and  increased  in  number  daily."  ^  Once  this 
strengthening  of  the  bonds  of  unity  was  accomplished, 
the  Apostle  began  to  meditate  new  conquests. 

To  the  north  of  Iconium  extends  the  desert  of  Central 
Anatolia, — wide  steppes  dotted  over  with  brackish  ponds* 
and  briny  brooks.  This  region,  being  a  bare  and  desolate 
stretch  of  country,  could  boast  of  no  highways  and 
but  very  few  inhabitants.  Travellers  starting  out  from 
Lycaonia  refrained  carefully  from  crossing  this  territory. 
The   road  generally  taken  by  those  bound   for  Galatia 

1  Acts  xvi.  12,  xvii.  14;  1  Thess.  iii.  2;  2  Cor.  i.  19;  Acts  xix.  22; 
1  Cor.  iv.  17,  xvi.  10,  11  ;  2  Cor.  i.  1  ;  Acts  xx.  3-6  ;  Philip,  i.  1,  ii.  19; 
Coloss.  i.  1  ;  Philem.  1  ;  2  Tim.  iv.  21. 
'2  Acts  xvi.  2. 

3  Acts  xvi.  4,  5. 

*  The  largest  of  these  pools,  called  Tonz-  Gol,  "  the  Salt  Lake,"  is  over 
sixty  miles  in  length  and  about  eight  in  width. 


SECOND  MISSION.— IN  ASIA  MINOR  AGAIN.       95 

and  Bithynia  took  them  through  the  valley  watered  by 
pleasant  streams  which  lies  between  Soultan-Dagh  and 
Emir-Dagh,  Laodicea  (the  modern  Ladik),  Philomelium 
(Ak-Sher),  and  Synnada  {Eski-Karahissar)  have  always 
been  the  stopping  places  along  the  route.  This  part  of 
the  central  plateau  was,  like  all  Asia  Minor,  peopled  by 
divers  races  ;  but  the  Phrygians,  who  were  in  the  ascen- 
dency, had  given  the  land  their  own  name.^  Though 
coming  from  Thrace,^  they  had  established  themselves 
in  these  parts  at  a  most  remote  period  of  history,  long 
before  (or  so  they  asserted)  the  Egyptians  settled  in  the 
valley  of  the  Nile.^  They  had  remained  here  ever  since, 
a  peaceable  people,  leading  a  farming  life,  and  holding 
no  intercourse  with  the  outside  world. 

Their  very  primitive  forms  of  religion  consisted  in  the 
worship  of  Sabazius  and  Cybelë,  —  divinities  not  unlike 
those  which  were  venerated  all  along  the  coasts  of  Sy- 
ria.^ The  Baal  of  Tyre  and  the  Moloch  of  the  Canaanites 
differed  hardly  at  all  from  this  Phrygian  Sabazius  ;  the 
Astartë  worshipped  at  Sidon,  Baaltis  of  Byblos,  and 
the  Urania  of  Ascalon  were  in  many  features  analogous 
to  Cybelë,  "the  great  Mother  of  the  Phrygians."  The 
Olympus  of  these  Asiatics  was  limited  to  those  two 
incarnations  of  divinity,  one  a  male,  the  other  a  female. 

1  There  was  no  Roman  Province  knoA\Ti  by  the  name  of  Phrygia  un- 
til the  time  of  Diocletian,  when  that  of  Asia  was  divided  into  seven 
small  Provinces  (Marquardt,  Romische  Staatsverwaltung,  i.  347,  348).  At 
the  period  we  are  concerned  with,  by  Phrygia  we  must  understand  the 
western  part  of  the  highlands  of  Asia  Minor  ;  this  territory,  the  bounda- 
ries of  which  are  difficult  to  determine,  made  a  part  of  various  Roman 
provinces, 

2  Strabo,  vii.  iii,  2;  x.  iii.  16-19  ;  Herodotus,  vii,  73. 

2  Herodotus,  ii.  2  ;  Pausanias,  i.  xiv.  2  ;  Claudianus,  In  Eutrop.,  ii. 
251-254. 

*  When  the  Greeks  came  into  more  intimate  relations  with  this 
region,  they  experienced  considerable  difficulty  in  establishing  any 
analogy  between  their  own  gods,  whose  forms  and  attributes  were  so 
clearly  differentiated,  and  these  mysterious  deities  of  Asia.  They  showed 
a  good  deal  of  ingenuity  in  discovering  certain  features  common  to 
Sabazius  and  Jupiter  or  Bacchus.  But  the  "  Great  Mother,"  divested  of 
anything  like  personality,  with  no  offspring,  but  representing  simply  the 
fecundation  of  Nature,  —  such  a  conception  could  not  be  identified  with 
any  of  the  goddesses  of  the  Greek  Olympus,  who  in  so  many  points  were 
like  their  mortal  worshippers. 


96  SAINT  PAUL. 

The  fertilization  of  living  germs  throughout  the  wide 
realms  of  nature,  and  especially  the  generation  of  man, 
seeming  to  their  primitive  minds  the  most  striking 
manifestation  of  the  divine  power,  they  were  fain  to 
worship  this  supreme  force,  calling  the  fecundating  prin- 
ciple Sabazius,  and  the  fecund  Cybele  ;  hence  we  need 
not  be  surprised  at  the  part  played  by  voluptuousness  in 
the  Phrygian  rites,  as  men  are  ever  prone  to  imitate  what 
they  adore. 

These  acts  of  licentiousness  were  rendered  more  ter- 
rible by  certain  sanguinary  rites,  especially  in  regions 
where  the  cultus  of  the  feminine  deity  took  pre-eminence. 
There  in  the  frenzy  of  misdirected  religious  feeling  men 
went  so  far  as  to  mutilate  themselves,  and  throngs  of 
priests  degraded  in  this  wise  dwelt  in  the  shadow  of  the 
goddess's  temples.  Though  of  rarer  occurrence  in  Syria, 
this  fanatical  spirit  was  only  too  common  among  the 
Phrygians  who  honored  Cybele  as  their  principal  divin- 
ity. Paul  had  become  acquainted  with  the  features  of 
this  barbaric  worship  during  his  first  missionary  journey  ; 
for  Antioch  in  Pisidia  possessed  a  sanctuary  dedicated  to' 
the  great  goddess,  together  with  a  horde  of  these  hiero- 
dules.  All  these  brutish  superstitions  had  not  prevented 
him  heretofore  from  captivating  men's  minds  and  win- 
ning them  over  to  the  cause  of  Christ.  In  like  manner 
he  triumphed  over  the  same  obstacles  in  Phrygia.  The 
coarse  character  of  this  rude  race  was  ennobled  by  a 
certain  simplicity  of  manners,  by  their  uprightness  and 
honesty  in  the  conduct  of  life,  most  of  all  by  an  underly- 
ing tendency  to  respect  the  gods  and  believe  in  them  as 
present  and  active  everywhere  about  them.  Certainly 
Paul's  Apostolic  labors  must  have  been  very  fruitful  here- 
abouts, for  a  few  years  later  he  returns  to  this  land  to 
visit  the  Churches  which  he  had  founded.^ 

From  Phrygia  there  are  several  routes  starting  from 
various  points  which  would  bring  the  traveller  into  the 
country  of  the  Galatians.^    The  Apostles  pushed  on  their 

^  Acts  xviii.  23. 

^  According  to  Peutinger's  Table,  the  Roman  road  which  the  Apostles 


SECOND  MISSION.— IN  ASIA  MINOR  AGAIN.       97 

way  thitherwards,  attracted  doubtless  by  the  singular 
spectacle  presented  by  this  Province,  now  peopled  by 
Gauls  who  had  wandered  so  far  afield  in  quest  of  a  home 
in  the  distant  Orient.  For  more  than  three  centuries  this 
quarter  had  preserved  this  strange  aspect,  for  it  must 
have  been  some  time  about  279  B.  c.  that  certain  hordes 
of  Celtic  origin,  after  having  been  repulsed  by  the  Greeks, 
passed  over  into  Asia  Minor,  where  they  spread  over  the 
country.  For  a  time  these  nomads,  called  by  the  ancients 
Galatians  or  Gauls,  led  an  existence  somewhat  like  that 
of  mobilized  troops,  continually  pressing  forward,  one 
band  following  the  other  like  the  waves  on  the  sea-shore, 
spreading  the  terror  of  their  name  to  the  very  confines  of 
Syria  ;  but  their  onward  rush  was  checked  by  the  resist- 
ance of  the  Ionian  cities,  which  were  then  inhabited  by 
a  wealthy  and  well  disciplined  population,  and  after  being 
beaten  in  battle  by  Attala,  King  of  Pergamos  (230  B.  c), 
they  fell  back  to  the  northeast  of  Phrygia,  where  there  is 
a  mountainous  tract  intersected  by  very  beautiful  valleys. 
Here,  following  the  customs  of  their  race,  they  cantoned 
themselves  according  to  tribes,^  and  lived  as  a  little  con- 
seem  to  have  followed  extended  from  Philomelium  to  Synnada  (25 
leagues),  then  to  Docimeum  (13  leagues),  and  thence  to  Dorylaeum  (13 
leagues).  From  the  last  named  city,  the  Galatiaa  Road  took  a  westerly 
direction  ;  Midaeium  was  eleven  leagues  farther  on,  and  Tricomia,  the 
last  Phrygian  town  along  the  Galatian  frontier,  was  another  eleven 
leagues  farther  on. 

1  The  tribes  were  three  in  number  :  to  the  south  were  the  "  Tolis- 
tobii,"  whose  capital  was  Pessinus  ;  toward  the  east,  and  on  the  confines 
of  Pontus,  were  the  Trocmes,  their  principal  city  being  Tavium  ;  the 
Tectosages,  holding  the  central  region,  regarded  Ancyra  as  their  metrop- 
olis. Originally  these  three  tribes  were  parcelled  into  tetrarchies,  each 
with  its  own  civil  and  military  chiefs.  The  delegates  from  these  tetrar- 
chies formed  a  parliament  which  regulated  the  affairs  of  the  whole 
nation.  Its  name  Apu/iaiVeroj/  (Strabo,  xii.  v.  1  ),  derived  from  the  Keltic 
drew,  "an  oak,"  and  ?mmef/,  "  temple,"  recalls  the  Druidic  gatherings 
held  under  the  lofty  oaks  of  Gaul  which  served  at  once  as  a  temple  and  a 
meeting  place.  Little  by  little  the  number  of  tetrarchs  diminished,  till, 
in  Pompey's  time,  the  supreme  power  was  intrusted  to  Deiotarus,  Tetrarch 
of  the  Tolistobii  (Strabo,  xii.  v.  1  ;  Appianus,  De  Bellis  Civilibus,  n.  71  ; 
Florus,  iv.  2,  5),  Amyntas,  who  had  been  Deiotarus's  secretary,  suc- 
ceeded him  in  the  government  of  the  country  (Dio  Cassius,  xlix.  32  ; 
1.  13  ;  li.  2,  7).  When  in  the  year  25  b.  c.  Amyntas  fell  in  an  ambuscade, 
Galatia  became  a  Roman  Province  and  was  governed  by  a  Proprastor. 
Marquardt,  Romische  Staatsverwaltunq,  i.  358  et  seq. 

7 


98  SAINT  PAUL. 

federation,  and  afterwards  as  an  independent  kingdom, 
up  to  the  day  when  Eome  gathered  them  in  under  her 
universal  yoke.  In  Paul's  time  Galatia  was  no  longer 
anything  but  a  Eoman  Province  under  the  rule  of  a  Pro- 
prsetor.i  However,  albeit  the  government  had  become 
Eoman,  everything  else  —  religion,  manners,  and  the  fea- 
tures of  private  life  —  remained  what  they  had  been 
from  time  immemorial.  The  Galatians  were  still  the 
ruling  majority  among  the  people,  easily  recognized  by 
the  blue  eyes  and  fair  hair  of  the  Kelt,^  but  especially  by 
their  dialect,  in  which,  four  centuries  later,  Saint  Jerome 
finds  such  striking  traces  of  the  language  of  Gaul.^  In 
like  manner,  the  national  character  preserved  the  racial 
traits  which  all  antiquity  attributes  to  their  ancestors  : 
a  people  of  lively  mind,  curious  and  eager  in  quest  of 
novelties,  as  quickly  moved  to  feeling  as  they  are  prone 
to  forget,  irresistible  in  the  first  dash  of  their  onset,  but 
lacking  in  firmness,  cast  down  at  the  slightest  rebuff, 
light-minded,  and  with  an  instability  of  soul  which  in- 
volved them  in  all  sorts  of  quarrelsome  and  treacherous 
deeds.^ 

With  this  population,  so  radically  Keltic  in  its  make-up, 
there  was  a  large  admixture  of  other  folk,  —  the  Phry- 
gians,, the  ancient  owners  of  the  soil  and  now  submerged 


1  Livy,  xxxviii.  16. 

2  "  The  Armenians  of  Angora  differ  from  those  of  Constantinople  in 
many  characteristics  ;  they  are  more  cordial,  more  talkative,  and  gayer, 
and  far  less  reserved  in  their  intercourse  with  foreigners.  The  type  also 
differs  :  in  the  capital  of  Galatia  the  majority  of  Armenians  have  not  the 
brown  complexion  and  the  round  faces  which  are  such  common  features 
among  the  Armenian  women  of  Turkey  ;  many  of  them  have  light  hair, 
blue  eyes,  an  oval  countenance,  and  the  appearance  of  Europeans.  M. 
Perrot  raises  the  question  whether  these  Armenians  of  Angora  may  not  be 
a  mixed  race,  tracing  their  lineage  back  to  the  Galatians,  '  the  French  of 
olden  times,'  as  the  Armenians  say.  So,  too,  the  Mussulmans  of  Galatia, 
who  are  esteemed  the  handsomest  and  most  sociable  inhabitants  of  Ana- 
tolia, may  be  supposed  to  have  some  slight  admixture  of  Gallic  blood  in 
their  veins."     Reclus,  Asie  Antérieure,  p.  574. 

3  S.  Jerome,  In  Ep.  ad  Gal.,  1.  ii.  Frœf. 

*  "  At  the  outset  of  their  battles  they  are  something  more  than  men," 
says  Livy,  "at  the  close  somewhat  less  than  women  "  (x.  28).  Caesar, 
De  Bell.  Gal.,  ii.  1,  iii.  10,  iv.  5;  Themistius,  Or.  xxiii.  p.  299  a;  Am- 
mianus  Marcellinus,  xv.  12;  Diodorus  of  Sicily,  v.  28  and  31. 


SECOND  MISSION.— IN  ASIA  MINOR  AGAIN.       99 

but  not  blotted  out  by  the  Galatian  invaders  ;  then  there 
were  the  colonists  come  hither  from  Eome,  from  Greece, 
and  from  outlying  territories.  Jews,  in  particular,  were 
established  here,  forming  an  imposing  mass  among  the 
citizens,  owing  to  the  high  estimation  in  which  they 
were  held  by  the  Emperor;  the  favors  and  privileges 
which  Eome  vouchsafed  them  are  all  set  forth  in  pom- 
pous phraseology  at  Ancyra,  engraved  on  the  walls  of  Au- 
gustus's temple.^  Strong  in  the  consciousness  of  such 
patronage,  the  children  of  Israel  flocked  thither,  drawn  by 
the  much  talked  of  richness  of  this  land.  Nor  indeed 
was  Galatia  like  the  plateaus  of  Lycaonia  and  Phrygia, 
a  narrow  river  basin  where  the  undulations  of  the  steppes 
furnish  the  inhabitants  with  only  a  few  salty  lakes.  Two 
streams,  the  Halys  and  the  Sangarius,  wind  through  the 
land,  branching  out  like  two  great  arms,  and  connecting 
it  with  the  Black  Sea.  The  soil  is  rich,  the  climate 
healthy,  the  valleys  fertile  ;  tliat  of  Angora  furnishes 
the  staple  which  is  still  so  renowned  throughout  Asia 
Minor  ;  and  innumerable  flocks  of  goats  with  silky  fleece 
graze  on  the  mountain  slopes.^  During  the  Eoman  su- 
premacy it  was  intersected  by  secure  highways,  running 
from  the  Hellespont  as  far  as  Armenia.  The  Jews  were 
not  likely  to  overlook  a  location  so  advantageous  for  pur- 
poses of  trade,  and  here,  as  elsewhere,  their  synagogues 
(which  lie  like  milestones  along  Paul's  route)  brought 
him  to  the  larger  cities,  —  to  Ancyra,  "  metropolis  of  the 
region,"^  —  to  Pessinus,  one  of  the  principal  commer- 
cial centres,*  —  to  Tavium,  which  was  at  the  junction  of 
several  noteworthy  routes.^ 

1  Josephus,  Anliq.  Jud.,  xvi.  vi.  2.  The  will  of  Augustus,  wherein  the 
Emperor  transcril)ed  the  glories  of  his  reign,  was  set  up  in  the  temple  of 
Ancyra;  the  Latin  original  was  to  be  seen  on  the  outer  walls,  a  Greek 
translation  of  it  in  the  interior.  Beside  this  his  last  testament,  it  would 
seem  that  the  temple  contained  those  Imperial  decrees  which  concerned 
the  Asiatic  Provinces,  and  especially  the  Jews. 

2  "Galatia,  provincia  optima,  sibi  sufficiens."  Millier.,  Geogr.  Min., 
ii.  251. 

^  Boeckh,  Corp.  Inscript.,  no.  4015. 
*  Strabo,  xii.  v.  3. 
6  Ibid.,  V.  2. 


100  SAINT  PAUL. 

Here  the  Apostles  encountered  a  party-colored  Pagan- 
ism, clad  in  a  motley  garb  borrowed  from  the  various 
masters  who  had  in  turn  ruled  this  Province.  Ancyra 
(Angora)  had  its  temple  of  Augustus,  the  youngest  of 
the  gods,  and  of  all  the  willingest  to  help  poor  mortals  ; 
Tavium  had  its  Grecian  Jupiter  ;i  Pessinus  boasted  of 
possessing  the  veritable  religion  of  the  country,  —  a  black 
stone  fallen  from  the  skies  for  a  figure  of  Cybelë,  and 
adored  under  the  title  of  Agdistis.^  About  this  shrine 
all  the  olden  Phrygian  sentiment  centred  ;  here  her  sav- 
age rites  and  all  the  voluptuous  orgies  were  celebrated 
amid  the  clash  of  cymbals  ;  for  priests  there  were  fanat- 
ical eunuchs,  who  enjoyed  revenues  and  powers  nothing 
short  of  princely.  Between  this  Asiatic  ritual  and  that 
of  the  Gauls,  with  their  Druids  and  expiations  of  blood, 
there  were  many  points  of  similarity.  Quick  to  perceive 
this  likeness,  the  Gauls,  little  by  little,  joined  in  the  na- 
tional worship,  and  in  the  end  lost  sight  of  any  difference 
at  all.  When  the  Consul  Manilius  invaded  these  parts, 
he  beheld  certain  deputies  coming  forth  to  meet  him 
called  Galli,^  robed  in  their  sacred  vestments.  These 
priests  of  Cybelë,  chanting  barbarous  hymns,  proclaimed 
to  the  people  that  the  goddess,  who  had  gone  over  to  the 
Komans,  was  now  about  to  give  the  latter  their  native 
land.^  So,  then,  from  the  peaks  of  the  Taurus  to  the 
shores  of  the  Black  Sea,  over  all  this  wide  central  plateau, 
the  "  Great  Mother,"  goddess  of  fruitful  nature,  reigned 
as  sovereign  Mistress  of  the  World.  Hers  was  the  power 
which  Paul  was  about  to  take  up  arms  against,  whose 
awful  deeds  he  reckons  among  the  works  of  death,  tell- 
ing the  dwellers  in  this  land  that  they  are  "works  of 
the  flesh,  fornication,  impurity,  uncleanness,  adultery, 
idolatry,  poisonings,  enmities,  quarrels,  jealousies,  angry 
feelings,  conspiracies,  divisions,  sects,  envyings,  murders, 

1  Strabo,  xii.  v.  2. 

2  Livy,  xxix.  10,  11  ;  xxxviii.  18.  Diodorus  of  Sicily,  iii.  58.  Arno- 
bius,  vi.  1 1  ;  vii.  46. 

3  The  name  Galli,  by  which  these  priests  were  known,  designated,  in 
the  Bithynian  language,  the  mutilation  which  they  had  undergone. 

*  Polybius,  xxii.  20;  Livy,  xxxvii.  18. 


SECOND  MISSION.— IN  ASIA  MINOR  AGAIN.     101 

drunkenness,  orgies,  and  the  like,  whereof  I  declare  unto 
you,  as  I  have  already  said,  that  such  as  commit  these 
crimes  shall  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of  God."  ^  We  do 
not  know  the  names  of  the  Christian  congregations  which 
listened  to  the  Apostle's  preaching  during  this  missionary 
journey  through  Phrygia  and  Galatia.  Undoubtedly  Paul 
formed  them  on  the  model  of  the  communities  already 
existing  in  Lycaonia,  independent  in  their  several  terri- 
tories, each  governed  by  a  body  of  Elders.  Taken  to- 
gether, they  made  up  those  Churches  of  Galatia  which 
the  Judaizers  were  soon  to  disturb  and  unsettle,  and  to 
whom  the  Apostle  will  be  forced  to  indite  one  of  his  most 
outspoken  Epistles. 

When  quitting  Galatia,  Paul  had  in  mind  the  plan  of 
bearing  the  Gospel  message  to  the  fertile  valleys  watered 
by  the  Cayster  and  Meander  Rivers.  Ephesus  was  the 
capital  of  this  wide  region,  which  boasted  of  many  popu- 
lous cities,  —  Smyrna,  Pergamos,  Sardis,  Philadelphia, 
Colossœ,  Laodicea,  Hierapolis,  Tralles,  and  Miletus.  Asia 
Minor  had  no  busier  or  more  flourishing  section.  This 
was  the  Ionia  of  the  age  of  heroes,  and  in  later  times  the 
same  Lydia  which  extended  its  empire  over  the  whole 
peninsula.  About  two  centuries  before  this  date  the 
Romans  had  rechristened  it  as  their  Province  of  Asia,^ 
maintaining  the  state  in  a  condition  of  great  order  and 
prosperity,  fostering  the  liberal  arts,  education,  and  com- 
merce, and  thus  attracting  thither  very  influential  Jewish 
colonies.  Feeling  strongly  drawn  toward  this  group  of 
flourishing  cities  lying  so  near  together,  Paul  was  setting 
forth  from  Galatia  to  evangelize  them  when  the  Holy 
Ghost  bade  him  stay  his  steps,  "  forbidding  him  to  pro- 
claim the  word  of  God  in  Asia."  However  great  was  to 
be  the  renown  of  the  seven  Churches  to  be  founded  later 

1  Gal.  V.  19-21. 

2  This  Province  comprised  Phrygia,  Mysia,  Caria,  and  Lydia  (Cicero, 
Pro  Flarco,  27).  In  the  New  Testament  this  name  is  used  to  designate 
the  region  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Caïcus,  on  the  south  by  the 
Meander  ;  while  to  the  east  it  embraced  the  country  of  the  Mœonians, 
with  the  capital  Thyatira,  and  the  Burned  Territory  (KaraKeKavfievri),  so 
called  on  account  of  the  volcanoes  and  subterraneous  fires  which  it  was 
noted  for. 


102  SAINT  PAUL. 

on  in  these  parts,  the  hour  for  telling  the  Glad  Tidings 
there  was  not  as  yet  arrived. 

They  had  reached  the  frontier  of  Mysia  when  the 
Apostles  received  this  command  from  on  High.  They 
were  then  among  the  mountains  whence  the  Hermus 
and  Khyndacus  ^  take  their  rise,  the  first  named  flowing 
toward  the  Gulf  of  Smyrna,  the  latter  into  the  Black  Sea. 
From  the  banks  of  the  last  named  stream,  looking  north- 
ward, their  attention  was  fixed  by  the  long  crest  of  Mount 
Olympus,  as  it  was  the  most  salient  feature  in  the  land- 
scape of  Bithynia,  which  was  a  Province  less  renowned 
for  its  riches  than  Asia,  but  prosperous  nevertheless,  and 
destined  as  well  to  great  glory  in  the  Church,  as  being 
the  site  of  the  first  Councils,  those  of  Nicea  and  Chal- 
cedon.  Paul  and  his  companions  made  ready  to  turn 
their  steps  in  this  direction,  but  again  "the  Spirit  of 
God,"  by  a  new  manifestation  of  His  will,  "  suffered  them 
not."  With  the  highways  running  north  and  south  closed 
against  them,  there  was  nothing  left  for  them  to  do  but 
to  push  straight  onwards  across  Mysia.  This  last  terri- 
tory was  too  mountainous  and  sparsely  peopled  to  detain 
them  long.  They  soon  reached  the  shores  of  Troas,  in 
the  last  stages  of  the  journey  descending  the  slopes 
of  Ida,  thus  traversing  the  very  fields  where  once  Troy 
stood,  and  now  as  then  still  watered  by  the  Simois  and 
Scamander,  —  a  land  teeming  with  memories  of  famous 
deeds,  but  of  a  nature  little  likely  to  stir  the  souls  of 
these  Orientals.  There  were  no  relics  of  all  that  ancient 
glory  to  call  for  so  much  as  a  passing  glance,  since  the 
twelve  hundred  years  which  had  passed  over  ruined  Ilion 
had  quite  buried  it  from  human  sight.  Paul  made  straight 
for  the  harbor  of  Troas,  which  was  at  a  distance  of  about 
an  hour's  walk,  and  near  the  entrance  to  the  Straits  of 
Dardanelles. 

1  Starting  from  Angora  on  the  way  toward  the  Province  of  Asia,  Paul 
must  have  crossed  the  Sangarius  in  the  neighborhood  of  Kiutaya,  a  stop- 
ping-place on  the  road  much  frequented  nowadays.  Proceeding  a  little 
farther  westward,  near  Aezani,  he  reached  the  frontiers  of  the  Province 
of  Asia,  Bithynia,  and  Mysia,  formed  naturally  by  the  water-shed  whence 
the  streams  flowing  northward  empty  into  the  Black  Sea,  and  to  the  west 
flowing  toward  the  Archipelago. 


SECOND  MISSION.— IN  ASIA  MINOR  AGAIN     103 

The  full  name  of  this  town,  Alexandria- Troas,  recalled 
the  fact  that  certain  officers  of  Alexander's  army  had 
founded  it,^  in  memory  of  the  great  reverence  felt  for 
this  sacred  soil  by  its  conqueror.  Nowhere,  indeed,  did 
that  illustrious  man  indulge  in  such  transports  of  reli- 
gious sentiment  as  during  his  visit  to  these  shrines.  Not 
content  with  venerating  the  slightest  vestiges  of  the  past, 
he  went  so  far,  after  sacrificing  to  the  Trojan  heroes,  as  to 
assume  their  arms  when  setting  out  to  meet  and  subju- 
gate the  East.2  After  him  the  Eomans,  as  sons  of  ^neas, 
were  not  to  be  outdone  in  tokens  of  reverence  for  a  region 
regarded  by  them  as  the  cradle  of  their  race.  Csesar  even 
dreamed  of  transferring  the  seat  of  the  Empire  to  Troas  ;  ^ 
Augustus  raised  it  to  the  rank  of  a  Colony,  endowed  with 
all  the  privileges  of  an  Italian  town.^  Under  such  all- 
powerful  protection,  the  city  grew  with  great  rapidity, 
rising  to  such  importance  in  the  world  of  that  day  that 
Paul  never  failed  to  make  it  one  of  the  stopping-places  in 
his  Apostolic  journeyings.  On  first  passing  through  it, 
however,  he  did  not  see  fit  to  tarry  long  enough  to  evan- 
gelize the  city  ;  he  stayed  no  longer  than  was  necessary 
to  procure  passage  on  an  outward  bound  vessel,  for  now 
God's  spirit  was  impelling  him  toward  countries  lying 
farther  west. 

Two  famous  lands  at  this  time  absorbed  the  attention 
of  men's  minds,  Greece  and  Eome.  To  the  former  the 
Apostle  hardly  gave  a  thought,  for  all  its  triumphs  of  art 
and  poetry  were  not  likely  to  arouse  his  interest  ;  even 
of  its  philosophy  he  had  but  a  poor  conception,  gathered 
solely  from  his  acquaintance  with  the  teachings  of  the 
Stoics  at  Tarsus.  Of  Rome,  on  the  contrary,  the  Apostle 
had  the  highest  estimation  ;  ^  he  admired  its  brave  and 
hardy  genius,  patient  in  endurance  as  it  was  impetuous 

1  It  was  founded  by  Antigonus  and  completed  by  Lysimachus. 

2  Diodorus,  xvii,  17,  18;  Arrianus,  i.  11,  12. 

3  Suetonius,  Cœsar,  79  ;  Strabo,  xiii.  i.  27. 

*  The  Jus  Italicum.     Digest,  iv.  xv.  7  ;  iv.  xv.  8,  9. 

^  Though  as  yet  the  Apostle  had  evangelized  only  Syria  and  Asia 
Minor,  he  must  frequently  have  come  into  relation  with  Greeks  and 
Romans  in  the  course  of  his  travels.  He  had  met  them  at  Jerusalem, 
Antioch,  Cyprus,  and  in  the  many  Roman  colonies  he  had  visited. 


104  SAINT  PAUL. 

in  action,  so  enamored  of  liberty,  and  withal  so  respectful 
of  order,  law,  and  sacred  things.  The  legionaries  espe- 
cially had  made  a  great  impression  on  him,  evidencing  as 
they  did  a  life  of  discipline,  with  a  lofty  spirit  of  patri- 
otism and  contempt  of  death.^  There  is  no  doubt  that 
the  Apostle  cherished  an  unspoken  longing  to  evangelize 
Eome,  even  at  this  period  of  his  life.  Six  years  later, 
when  writing  to  the  Christians  in  that  city,  he  tells  them 
that  "for  now  many  years  I  have  felt  a  strong  desire 
to  go  to  you."  "  How  often  I  have  longed  for  this  !  "  ^  he" 
repeats.  But  however  imperious  this  feeling  may  have 
been,  it  was  held  in  check  as  yet  by  the  Spirit  of  Jesus. 
Eome  was  Peter's  domain  ;  Paul  was  not  destined  to  visit 
it  until  his  days  were  nearly  spent,  and  then  only  in 
order  to  contribute  his  Apostolic  labors  to  speed  the  work 
already  done  by  the  Head  of  the  Church,  thus  consecrat- 
ing the  Unity  of  the  Catholic  world  by  his  presence,  and 
making  Eome  forever  hallowed  as  the  seat  of  Peter  and 
Paul,  but  of  Paul  as  the  obedient  son  of  Peter.^ 

Accordingly  these  few  days  spent  in  Troas  were  passed 
in  obscurity  and  in  indecision.  Paul's  inclinations  were 
all  on  the  side  of  a  voyage  to  Italy.  Still  he  hesitated, 
and  could  get  no  effective  counsel  from  his  fellow  trav- 
ellers, who  were  more  accustomed  to  follow  his  initia- 
tive than  to  suggest  new  plans.  How,  then,  was  he  to 
choose  between  these  vessels  in  the  offing,  all  ready 
to  sail,  with  seamen  of  every  race  accosting  him  on  the 
shores,  —  Syrians,  Italians,  Greeks,  —  easily  distinguish- 
able by  their  garb,  but  all  alike  strangers  to  him?  A 
vision  which  came  to  the  Apostle  one  night  put  an  end 
to  this  state  of  uncertainty.  "A  man  from  Macedonia 
appeared  to  him,  and  besought  him  in  this  wise  :  '  Come 
over  to  Macedonia  and  help  us.'     Forthwith,"  adds  the 

1  We  shall  often  have  to  notice  how  the  Apostle,  in  order  to  give 
greater  color  and  relief  to  his  poetical  conceptions,  loves  to  borrow  his 
imagery  from  the  bodily  drill  and  weapons  of  the  legionaries.  Rom.  xiii. 
11-13  ;  2  Cor.  vi.  7  ;  1  Thess.  v.  5-8  ;  Eph.  vi.  10-17  ;  2  Cor.  x.  3-6,  etc. 

2  Rom.  XV.  23  ;  i.  13. 

^  De  Smedt,  Dissertationes  Selectee,  Diss.  i.  :  De  Rom.  S.  Petri 
Episcop.,  cap.  iii.  :  Utrum  Petrus  solus,  an  simul  cum  eo  Paulas  Ro- 
manàm  Ecclesiam  rexerit. 


SECOND  MISSION.  — IN  ASIA  MINOR  AGAIN.     105 

sacred  writ,  "we  sought  means  to  pass  over  into  Mace- 
donia, doubting  not  that  God  was  calling  us  thitherward 
to  preach  the  Gospel  there."  ^ 

Here  for  the  first  time  the  author  of  the  Acts  appears 
as  one  of  the  actors  in  his  own  narrative,  and  reckons 
himself  as  one  of  the  number  of  Paul's  comrades.^  He 
was  of  Gentile  birth,^  a  native  of  Antioch,^  a  physician  by 
profession,^  and  known  by  the  name  of  Lucas,  or  Lucanus. 
The  physicians  of  ancient  times,  whether  emancipated 
slaves  or  free-born  men,  were  as  a  general  thing  a  learned 
and  scholarly  body.^  That  Luke  had  received  his  share 
of  intellectual  culture  is  sufficiently  proved  by  the  works 
he  has  left  us.  He  writes  a  purer  Greek  than  do  any  of 
the  other  Apostles,  and  his  compositions  bear  evidence  of 
a  finer  artistic  training  and  a  higher  feeling  for  orderly 
construction.  His  exact  knowledge  of  navigation^  and 
the  principal  sea  routes  give  us  reason  to  believe  that 
he  had  practised  his  profession  in  some  of  the  maritime 
cities,  perhaps  he  may  even  have  been  surgeon  on  some 
ship.  Paul's  frequently  recurring  sicknesses,  some  more 
serious  attack  of  his  old  malady,  probably  gave  occasion 
for  their  first  meeting,  which  was  to  result  in  life-long 
ties  of  fellowship.  Touched  by  the  Apostle's  words,  the 
physician  of  Troas  gave  his  life  to  the  Christ,  and   at 

1  Acts  xvi.  9,  10. 

2  In  the  eleventh  chapter  of  the  Acts  (ver.  28)  a  MS.  of  the  sixth  cen- 
tury contains  the  following  words  :  "  In  those  days  certain  Prophets  came 
down  from  Jerusalem  to  Antioch.  There  was  held  a  çjoodbj  gathering,  and 
when  we  ivere  met  together,  one  of  them,  called  Agabus,  rising,"  etc.  Ac- 
cording to  this  version,  S.  Luke,  the  narrator,  was  at  this  date  one  of  the 
disciples  ;  but  the  passage  is  to  be  found  in  Beza's  MS.  alone,  and  has 
never  been  regarded  as  authentic.  It  is  therefore  no  more  than  the  per- 
sonal opinion  of  the  writer. 

3  S.  Paul  (Col.  iv.  12-15)  mentions  him  among  the  Gentiles  who  had 
not  received  circumcision. 

*  Eusebius,  Hist.  EccL,  iii.  4  ;  S.  Jerome,  De  Vir.  Illus.,  7. 

^  "Lucas  medicus  carissimus,"  Col.  iv,  14.  Dr.  Plumptre  has  shown 
us  how,  in  the  course  of  the  Third  Gospel  and  the  Acts,  S.  Luke  gives 
evidence  of  his  acquaintance  with  medical  science  {The  Expositor ,  no.  20, 
Aug.,  1776). 

^  Smith,  Dictionary  of  Greek  and  Roman  Antiquities,  Medicus. 

'  Though  Luke  knew  the  terminology  and  tactics  of  seamanship,  he 
evidently  speaks  as  a  man  not  engaged  in  that  career.  See  Smith's 
Voyage  and  Shipwreck,  p.  15. 


106  SAINT  PAUL. 

the  same  time  consecrated  himself  to  the  preaching  of 
the  Gospel. 

This  ready  devotion  to  the  cause  made  Paul  love  him 
almost  as  dearly  as  he  did  Timothy.  Like  the  latter,  he 
clung  always  to  the  master's  side,  sharing  his  sternest 
labors,  shipwrecked  with  him  at  Malta,  his  fellow  prisoner 
at  Cœsarea  and  Kome.  "  Luke  is  the  only  one  with  me,"  ^ 
Paul  wrote  in  an  hour  when  all  had  forsaken  him.  Of  a 
less  plastic  nature  than  Timothy,  however,  Luke  did  not 
show  to  a  like  extent  the  impress  of  the  Apostle's  genius. 
While  admiring  him  as  much  as  evidently  he  did,  and 
unreservedly  devoting  his  life  to  his  service,  he  managed 
to  maintain  his  own  calm  and  gentle  nature  unaltered, 
always  showing  himself  moderate  in  language  and  feel- 
ing. The  storms  which  he  had  to  face  under  Paul's  flying 
standard  never  troubled  the  quiet  self-restraint,  the  well 
balanced  fairness,  of  this  soldier  of  the  Cross.  Thus,  with- 
out losing  aught  of  his  wonted  equipoise,  he  became  the 
Evangelist  and  the  Historian  of  the  most  ardent  spirit 
that  ever  lived.  In  his  records  we  can  distinguish  th-at 
wonderful  Orient  with  its  swift-changing  passions,  its 
sudden  and  impetuous  moods,  faithfully  depicted,  but  in 
sober  coloring,  and  with  a  firm,  sure  touch.  Heaven  thus 
disposed  events  that  we  might  inherit  two  different  pic- 
tures of  the  new-born  Church  ;  one  as  traced  out  by 
Paul  himself  in  his  Epistles,  born  of  passionate  hopes, 
and  glowing  with  the  heat  of  the  struggle  ;  the  other 
drawn  by  a  steadier  hand,  illuminated  by  that  equable 
and  peaceful  light  which  is  indeed  the  true  atmosphere 
of  history.  With  the  advent  of  Luke,  somewhat  of  the 
Grecian  genius  found  its  way  into  Paul's  mind  and  works. 
It  had  gifts  to  offer  him  which  were  unknown  in  the 
East,  though  they  were  to  be  found  in  abundance  along 
these  lovely  coasts  whither  the  Apostles  were  steering 
their  course,  —  gifts  of  harmony,  the  beauty  of  sweetness 
and  light. 

1  2  Tim.  iv.  11. 


CHAPTER  V. 

SECOND  MISSIONAKY    JOURNEY.  —  MACEDONIA. 

I.  —  Philippi. 

There  was  a  south  breeze  blowing  ^  on  the  day  when 
Paul  and  his  comrades  embarked  at  Troas.  This  is  the 
most  favorable  wind  in  these  parts  ;  for  it  is  strong 
enough  along  these  shores  of  the  Archipelago  to  triumph 
over  the  rapid  current  which  sweeps  down  through  the 
Dardanelles,  between  the  Asiatic  banks  and  the  island  of 
Tenedos. 

Stemming  this  swift  stream,^  the  bark  that  bore  the 
Apostles  sailed  past  the  mouths  of  the  Hellespont,  then, 
turning  eastward,  ranged  along  the  coast  of  Imbros  ; 
thence,  making  to  the  northwest,  they  made  shift  to 
cast  anchor  in  order  to  pass  the  night  beneath  the  shel- 
tering heights  of  Samothrace.  This  island  has  no  har- 
borage ;  but  its  mountains,  which  rival  Athos  in  height, 
furnish  a  fine  bulwark  against  the  south  winds  ;  it  is  an 
excellent  mooring-place,  as  the  water  is  always  calm. 

No  Greek  could  navigate  these  waters  without  offering 
his  meed  of  worship  to  the  headlands  whence  Neptune 
once  viewed  the  varying  fortunes  of  the  Trojan  wars,^ 
while  many  even  penetrated  to  the  recesses  of  those  oak 
groves  on  the  mountain  side,  to  participate  in  the  Mys- 

1  By  the  expression  €vQv^pofxy)(Taixiv.  "  we  drew  to  the  right,"  towards 
Samothrace,  the  author  leaves  us  to  infer  that,  when  heading  north- 
wards, they  sailed  with  a  stern  Avind  and  by  the  shortest  course  ;  in  two 
days  they  made  the  same  passage  which  later  occupied  five  days  with  less 
favorable  weather  (Acts  xx.  6). 

'^  The  shallows  render  navigation  between  T.emnos  and  Tenedos  very 
insecure;  hence  mariners  prefer  to  sail  betAveeri  tlie  latter  island  and  the 
Asiatic  coast.     I'urdy's  Snil'mfj  Director ij,  pp.  1.58-189. 

3  Homer, //lac?,  xiii.  10-15. 


108  SAINT  PAUL. 

terîes  of  Samothrace,  the  obscurest  of  all  ancient  rites. 
What  was  the  meaning  and  what  the  origin  of  those 
Cabiri,  tlie  divinities  of  its  high  places  ?  No  one  knew, 
but  as  initiation  in  this  mystical  worship  was  held  to  be 
a  talisman  against  all  danger,^  multitudes  flocked  thither: 
Eleusis  alone  could  boast  of  greater  throngs.^  Were  the 
Apostle  and  his  companions  aware  of  the  great  devotion 
which  the  Pagans  showed  for  this  sacred  isle  ?  It  is 
hardly  likely.  Like  all  Jews,  Paul  took  little  interest  in 
mythological  lore,  and  nowhere  did  he  investigate  into 
anything  more  than  those  bare  details  of  national  wor- 
ship which  he  could  turn  to  good  use  in  his  sermons. 
He  passed  only  one  night  in  sight  of  these  far-famed 
shores,  but  without  disembarking  :  the  Mysteries  and  the 
Cabiri  of  the  country  probably  never  occupied  his  mind. 

With  the  dawn  of  the  next  day  all  sail  was  set  for 
Macedonia,  whither  God's  Holy  Spirit  was  summoning 
them.  •  One  day's  journey  would  bring  their  bark  from 
Samothrace  into  the  Bay  of  Thasos,  whence  they  could 
reach  Neapolis.^  This  port  lies  on  the  easterly  shore  of 
the  gulf,  in  a  poor  location  :  there  is  no  harbor  ;  the 
anchorage  in  the  roadstead  is  good,  but  so  exposed  to 
the  fierce  southwesterly  winds  that  in  stormy  weather 
the  captains  are  forced  to  leave  it  and  seek  refuge  in  the 
shelter  of  Thasos.  Unpromising  as  it  was,  this  haven 
never  lacked  its  complement  of  vessels,  for  the  very  good 
reason  that  at  this  point   the  Egnatian*  Eoad   skirted 

1  They  fondly  believed  that  no  one  initiated  in  these  rites  had  ever 
been  shipwrecked.  Scholiast  of  Aristides,  Panathen.,  324;  Scholiast  of 
Aristophanes,  Pac,  278  ;  Hermann,  Lehrbuch  der  gottesdienstlichen  Alter- 
thumer  der  Griechen,  §  65. 

2  Pauly's  Real  Encyklopddie,  Cabiri  et  Samothrace;  Daremberg, 
Dictionnaire  des  Antiquités,  Cabiri. 

3  The  modern  C avala,  a  Turkish  station  of  considerable  importance. 
Cousinery  {Voj/age  de  Macédoine,  vol.  ii.  p.  116)  locates  Neapolis  three 
leagues  farther  to  the  southwest,  at  Eski  Caya/a,  where  there  is  a  fine 
large  harbor  ;  but  he  has  to  support  his  hypothesis  against  all  the  evi- 
dence at  hand, —  the  Itineraries  for  the  route  between  Philippi  and 
Neapolis.  the  inscriptions,  the  ancient  ruins  discovered  at  Cavala,  as  well 
as  the  distance  between  Eski  Cavala  and  the  Egnatian  Road.  See  Lewin, 
Life  of  S.  Paul,  vol.  i.  p.  201,  note  22;  Tafel,  De  Via  Egnatia,  ii.  12  et 
seq.  ;  Heuzey,  Mission  de  Macédoine,  p.  11  et  seq. 

*  The  Egnatian  Road  was  so  called  from  Egnatia,  the  seaport  of 


SECOND  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY.  — MACEDONIA.     109 

the  shore.  The  Eoman  engineers,  by  laying  out  this 
road  across  Macedonia,  had  made  it  the  main  highway 
connecting  the  East  and  Dyrrachium  with  the  sea- 
ports of  Egnatia  and  Brindisi  across  the  Adriatic,  and 
thus  united  it  to  Italy.  But  instead  of  following  this 
route  along  its  whole  length,  the  travellers  had  made  the 
shortest  cut  possible  from  the  Asiatic  coast  by  taking 
ship  for  Neapolis. 

This  city  struck  Paul  as  not  unlike  Troas  :  here  he 
encountered  the  same  busy  crowds  of  Greeks,  Levan- 
tines, and  traders  that  thronged  all  the  Mediterranean 
ports.  This  was  not  the  Macedonian  folk  whom  the 
Heavenly  vision  had  marked  out  as  destined  to  be  the 
objects  of  his  solicitude.  He  resolved  to  start  out  in 
the  direction  of  Philippi,^  a  city  of  considerable  note, 
separated  from  the  sea  by  the  Pangsean  chain  of  hills, 
but  at  the  same  time  one  of  the  stations  upon  the  Egna- 
tian  Eoad.  Accordingly  the  Apostles  began  the  ascent 
of  these  slopes,  the  road  beneath  their  feet  cut  out  of 
the  solid  rock  as  it  rises  above  Neapolis,*^  and  at  the  end 
of  the  pass,  which  lies  deep  between  the  mountain  crests, 
they  beheld  in  the  far  distance  the  beautiful  plain  of 
Philippi.^  Eight  in  front  of  them,  but  with  an  interven- 
ing stretch  of  marshy  ground  lying  along  the  base  of 
Pangseus,  was  the  city,  rising  to  the  north  along  the 
sides  of  a  hill  which  stood  out  like  a  promontory  in  the 
landscape.^     Vast  and  flourishing  as  it  was  in  those  old 

Apulia,  where  the  Appian  Way  came  to  an  end  (Pauly's  Real  Encyklo- 
pddie,  Via  Appia).  From  this  Italian  town  the  continuation  of  the 
road  on  the  Adriatic  shore  opposite  received  its  name  of  Egnatian. 
Starting  from  Dyrrachium  and  Appollonia,  it  traversed  Epirus  as  far  as 
Thessalonica,  then  crossed  Macedonia  and  Thrace,  terminating  at  By- 
zantium. 

1  Only  a  few  ruins  remain  to  mark  the  site  of  Philippi.  The  Turkish 
viUage  of  Filihedjik,  which  preserved  the  name  of  the  old  city,  has  disap- 
peared as  well. 

■^  This  pass  crosses  Mount  Symbolum,  as  it  was  called  by  the  ancients, 
Dio  Cassius,  xlvii.  35. 

^  The  distance  from  Neapolis  to  Philippi  is  about  ten  miles.  Heuzey, 
Mission  de  Macédoine,  p.  19. 

*  "  A  group  of  mountains  of  slight  elevation  extend  like  a  wedge  into 
the  broad  plain,  with  the  apex  at  Pangœus.  On  the  summit  of  the  steep 
hill  which  makes  the  edge  of  this  wedge,  ruined  towers  still  rise  to  indi- 


110  SAINT  PAUL. 

days,  it  covered  the  whole  summit,  as  well  as  the  south- 
ern brow,  with  a  gradual  sweep  down  to  the  outskirts  of 
the  plain.  The  Egnatian  Eoad  which  cuts  across  this 
southern  section  of  Philippi  divides  the  lower  town,  with 
its  forum  and  populous  districts,  from  the  upper  city, 
where  were  the  Acropolis,  the  theatre,  and  the  temples 
of  the  Gods.i 

It  was  to  the  valuable  mines  in  its  neighborhood  that 
Philippi  owed  its  origin.  They  were  surrounded  by  a 
halo  of  fabulous  lore  in  ancient  times  ;  ^  men  said  that  the 
gold  grew  up  again  as  fast  as  the  pick  extracted  it  from 
the  ore,  just  as  fresh  grass  springs  up  in  the  harvest 
fields.  A  land  so  noted  for  natural  resources  was  not 
likely  long  to  escape  the  notice  of  the  grasping  mon- 
archs  of  Macedonia.  Alexander's  father,  Philip,  seized 
the  entire  mining  section,  reorganized  its  working,  and, 
the  better  to  protect  his  property,  founded  this  fortress, 
which  he  called  by  his  own  name,'^  After  falling  into 
Koman  hands,  this  military  post  thrived  the  more  vig- 
orously. Octavius  recognized  its  strategic  importance 
when  he  visited  these  parts  and  won  the  battle  of  Phi- 
lippi. As  soon  as  he  became  master  of  the  Empire,  he 
despatched  a  colony  thither,  and  assured  its  power  for 
the  future  by  bestowing  upon  it  the  Jus  Italicum.'^ 

These  emigrants,  the  remnants  of  Antony's  party, — 
old  soldiers  and  natives  of  Italy,  —  brought  with  them 
to  the  frontiers  of  Macedonia  and  Thrace  that  leaven  of 
uprightness,  gravity,  and  austere  living  which  was  still 
extant  among  the  legions  and  in  the  country  places  of 
Latium.^     The  rustic  deities  of  old  Eome  were  thus  trans- 


cate  the  location  of  the  ancient  city.  This  promontory  of  Philippi  is  sep- 
arated from  tlie  outermost  fortifications  of  the  Pangœus  by  a  distance  of 
nearly  six  miles  ;  but  the  intermediate  space  is  almost  completely  barred 
by  a  marshy  lake,  of  which  the  maps  give  the  student  no  adequate  idea." 
Heuzey,  Mission  de  Macédoine,  pp.  33,  34. 

1  Heuzey,  Mission  de  Macédoine,  pp.  67-90. 

2  Strabo,  vii.,  Fragm.  34  ;  Herodotus,  vi.  46,  47  ;  v.  23,  126  ;  Thucydi- 
des,  i.  100;  Diodorus  of  Sicily,  xvi.  3. 

3  Diodorus  of  Sicily,  xvi.  8. 
*  Die  Cassius,  li.  4. 

5  Mission  de  Macédoine,  pp.  74-78. 


SECOND  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY.  — MACEDONIA.     Ill 

ported  to  these  far-off  lands  ;  Sylvanus  had  here  his 
College,  intrusted  with  the  care  of  his  worship  and  com- 
posed of  members  whose  names  we  meet  in  the  Acts  and 
Epistles,  —  Crescens,  Secundus,  Trophimus,  Aristobulus, 
Pudens,  Urbanus,  Clemens.^  Their  gods,  though  new- 
comers, soon  found  a  place  in  the  ranks  of  the  local 
deities  ;  in  close  proximity  to  their  temples  we  come 
across  sanctuaries  in  honor  of  Minerva,  Diana,  Mercury, 
Hercules,  and  the  Asiatic  ]\ren.2  It  is  easier  to  decipher 
the  peculiar  features  of  these  popular  devotions  at  Phi- 
lippi  than  almost  anywhere  else,  for  there  are  plenty  of 
vestiges  left  for  the  explorer  in  the  upper  town.  Here- 
abouts the  marble  cliffs,  rising  high  above  the  plain, 
made  the  ground  at  many  points  unavailable  for  building 
purposes.  Some  of  these  huge  blocks  were  chiselled  into 
the  effigies  of  the  gods  ;  others  were  hollowed  out  into 
niches  to  hold  smaller  statues  or  covered  with  bas-reliefs 
and  inscriptions.  A  cursory  review  of  this  curious  mu- 
seum of  Philippi's  tutelary  deities  makes  it  plain  to  be 
seen  that,  though  the  colonists  imported  by  Augustus 
were  in  the  majority,  the  Macedonian  population  had  not 
been  crushed  out  of  existence. 

And  furthermore  it  should  be  remembered  that  no 
race  was  more  likely  to  assimilate  with  the  Pioman  : 
between  the  two  there  was  a  great  likeness  of  character  ; 
their  customs  were  much  the  same,  both  being  bred  to 
a  laborer's  or  shepherd's  life,  both  rough,  hearty  folks, 
whose  honesty  had  passed  into  a  proverb,  brave  and 
trusty  in  battle,  loyal  to  the  established  order  and  gov- 
ernment, —  qualities  which,  when  all  taken  together,  made 
them  an  irresistible  power  in  the  land.  Like  Eome  and 
before  her  rise,  the  Macedonian  phalanxes  had  subjugated 
the  world,  no  longer  by  overwhelming  it  with  a  deluge 
of  servile  hordes,  as  the  potentates  of  Assyria  and  Egypt 
had  done  in  their  time,  but  by  their  perfect  discipline, 
their  military  tactics,  most  of  all  by  the  valor  of  their 
soldiers.  Like  Eome,  they  despised  their  Grecian  neigh- 
bors  to  the  south;    like  her,  and  perhaps   in  a  higher 

1  Mission  de  Macédoine,  p.  72.  2  ibid.,  pp.  79-86. 


112  SAINT  PAUL. 

degree,  they  fostered  a  religious  reverence  for  the  home 
life  and  a  great  respect  for  womankind.  The  Macedonian 
inscriptions  are  a  witness  to  the  fact  that  the  mother  and 
wife  received  higher  honors  in  these  parts  than  ever  fell 
to  the  lot  of  the  Eoman  matron.  She  is  styled  the  mis- 
tress of  the  house  ;  she  enjoys  property  rights  ;  her  name, 
as  that  of  the  father  elsewhere,  is  cited  in  witness  to 
hereditary  claims  ;  sometimes,  indeed,  public  monuments 
are  erected  to  her  memory.^ 

A  life  of  hard  work  in  the  open,  which  was  the 
occupation  of  most  Macedonians  of  that  time,  with  the 
remoteness  of  the  locality  from  the  corrupt  cities  of  the 
day,  would  go  far  to  account  for  this  conservation  of  good 
morals  among  them  ;  but  unquestionably  religion  must 
have  contributed  powerfully  to  the  same  end.  Thrace 
was  their  nearest  neighbor,  where  in  the  Dionysiac  Mys- 
teries the  lofty  teachings  of  Orpheus  had  been  preserved 
intact.  In  the  Macedonian  temples  raised  to  Sabazius  ^ 
were  still  to  be  heard  those  hymns  so  much  admired  by 
the  early  Christians,  wherein  immortality  and  a  future 
life  were  clothed  in  language  of  irresistible  attractive- 
ness, —  wherein  the  One  God  reveals  Himself  as  existing 
of  Himself,  visible  to  the  mind  of  man  alone,  filling  all 
things  with  His  Presence.  Thanks  to  the  charm  exer- 
cised by  these  exalted  hymns,  men's  souls  were  raised 
above  earthly  things  and  purified  of  their  dross,  while, 
more  than  all  the  rest,  the  women  felt  this  ennobling 
influence  most  keenly,  because  at  all  times  more  sensitive 
to  pious  emotions.  Among  them  Paul  was  to  meet  his 
first  and  dearest  neophytes. 

At  the  outset,  the  question  was  how  to  find  means  of 
access  to  this  new  field   of  labor,  which  at   first    sight 

1  Boeckh,  1958,  1965,  1977,  1997,  1999. 

'^  Sabazius,  honored  alike  in  Thrace  and  Phrygia,  was  an  Oriental  di- 
vinity, analogous  to  Attis,  Mithra,  and  Corybas;  the  Greeks  likened  him 
sometimes  to  Zeus,  sometimes  to  Corybas.  In  Thrace  his  worship  had 
many  points  of  similarity  to  the  Orphic  Mysteries,  wherein  lofty  revela- 
tions were  communicated  to  the  initiated  concerning  immortality  and  a 
future  life.  Heuzey,  Mission  de  Macédoine,  28-39  ;  Appianus,  De  Bellis 
Civilihus,  iv.  106;  Strabo,  x.  iii.  15,  16;  Macrobius,  Saturn.,  i.  18. 


SECOND  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY.  — MACEDONIA.     113 

appeared  so  promising  ;  for  Philippi  had  no  organized 
body  of  Jewish  citizens,  as  had  the  other  cities  which 
Paul  had  been  evangelizing  up  to  this  date,  —  no  syna- 
gogue, with  every  opportunity  for  intercourse  with  his 
fellow  countrymen,  and  affording  at  the  same  time  a 
point  of  contact  with  Gentile  proselytes.  The  Apostle 
waited  for  the  first  Sabbath  of  his  stay  to  come  round, 
with  little  doubt  that  on  that  day  some  gathering  of 
Jews  would  take  place  as  usual.  In  fact,  as  a  general 
rule,  even  in  towns  where  the  children  of  Israel  were 
but  a  handful  and  too  poor  to  support  a  sanctuary,  they 
always  managed  to  provide  a  place  for  meeting  and 
prayer.  These  oratories  (called  Proseuks)  were  mere 
enclosures,  —  some  garden  perhaps,  often  only  an  open 
field  without  so  much  as  a  hedge  about  it,  but  always 
near  to  the  sea  or  a  running  stream,  whence  they  could 
procure  water  for  the  ablutions.^  The  Proseuk  at  Philippi 
lay  to  the  west  of  the  city,  beside  the  banks  of  the 
Gangit3s.2  It  was  reached  from  the  town  by  the  Egna- 
tian  Eoad,  across  a  stretch  of  country  at  that  time  under 
rich  cultivation  ;  for  the  springs  which  rise  in  the  moun- 
tains were  made  to  water  these  fields  that  now  lie 
parched  and  barren  in  the  sunshine.  Willows  and  plane 
trees  cast  a  grateful  shade  over  the  path,  while  roses  of 
a  hundred  petals,  whose  native  home  is  the  Pangseus,^ 
were  cultivated  amid  the  thickly  growing  bean  vines. 
With  this  border  of  blooming  gardens,  the  Eoman  road 
made  the  finest  promenade  to  be  found  round  about 
Philippi  ;  it  led  up  to  the  spot  where,  a  hundred  years 
earlier,  Octavius  had  met  and  repulsed  the    legions    of 

1  Philo,  Lecj.  ad  Caium,  23  ;  In  Flac,  14  ;  S.  Epiphanius,  Hceres.,  Ixxxi.  ; 
Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud.,  xiv.  x.  23. 

-  Philippi  was  surrounded  by  springs  (Heuzey,  p.  52)  ;  hence  its 
ancient  name,  Kp-qvidçs  {The  Springs)  ;  but  in  all  the  neighboring  parts 
there  was  but  one  river  worthy  of  that  title  (Trapà  irorafxév,  Acts  xvi.  13)  ; 
it  was  called  the  Gangas  or  Gangites  (now  the  Bounarhachi).  This 
stream  rises  in  the  hills  which  shut  in  the  valley  of  Drama  to  the  north, 
passes  to  the  west  of  Philippi,  and  finally  is  lost  to  sight  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  plain,  in  the  marsh  which  wets  the  northern  base  of  the 
Pangfeus. 

3  Theophrastus,  Hist.  Plantarum,  iv.  19,  vi.  6;  Causée  Plant.,  iv.  14; 
Pliny,  Hist.  Naturalis,  xxi.  10. 

8 


114  SAINT  PAUL. 

Brutus  on  these  same  banks  of  the  Gangites.  A  trium- 
phal arch  recalled  to  the  mind  of  the  passer  by  what 
great  feats  of  arms  had  been  once  enacted  here.^  It  was 
not  far  from  this  monument  that  the  Jews  had  located 
their  place  of  prayer. 

On  their  arrival,  Paul  and  his  companions  found  not 
a  single  man  to  greet  them;  only  a  few  women  were 
gathered  together  in  prayer.  The  Apostle  seated  himself, 
and,  beginning  to  talk  with  them,  finally  announced  the 
coming  of  their  Saviour  in  Jesus.  The  welcome  these 
women  extended  to  him  was  most  favorable  ;  one  of 
them  was  especially  noteworthy  for  the  alacrity  she 
showed  in  embracing  the  new  Faith.  She  was  a  for- 
eigner of  Pagan  birth,  but  "  a  God-fearing  woman  "  ;  by 
which  the  Eecord  means  us  to  understand  that  she 
belonged  to  that  class  of  proselytes  which,  without  ob- 
serving the  whole  Law,  kept  its  essential  commandments 
and  worshipped  Jehovah.^  She  was  called  Lydia  — 
the  Lydian  woman  —  because  she  was  from  Thyatira  in 
Lydia.  Her  business  was  trading  in  the  dyes  for  which 
her  native  land  was  renowned,^  and  her  principal  stock 
in  trade  was  purple,*  a  costly  article,  requiring  a  large 
capital  to  handle  with  success. 

"  Lydia  listened  to  us,"  says  Saint  Luke,  "  and  the 
Lord  opened  her  heart  to  an  understanding  of  what  Paul 
was  saying.  After  she  had  been  baptized,  and  her  family 
as  well,  she  besought  us  in  these  words  :  '  If  you  judge 
that  I  am  faithful  to  the  Lord,  enter  into  my  house  and 
abide  there.'     And  she  constrained  us."  ^ 

The  hospitality  thus  accepted  by  the  Apostolic  band 
was  an  honor  paid  to  Lydia  which  is  without  a  parallel 
in  the  record  of  their  missions,  for  nowhere  else  did  Paul 
consent  to  live  at  the  expense  of  his  disciples.  That  the 
Apostle,  jealous  as  he  was  about  preserving  his  indepen- 

1  Mission  de  Macédoine,  p.  119. 

2  Acts  xvi.  14. 

3  Homer,  Iliad,  iv.  141  ;  Strabo,  xiii.  iv.  14;  Claudian,  Rapt.  Proserp., 
i.  270. 

*  Acts  xvi.  14. 
5  Ibid.,  14,  15. 


SE  COND  MISSIONAR  Y  JO  URNE  Y.  —  MA  CED  ONIA .     115 

dence,  should  have  given  this  woman  such  a  token  of  his 
confidence  clearly  demonstrates  that  from  their  first  meet- 
ing he  regarded  her  as  a  large-minded,  generous  soul, 
whose  faith  was  beyond  question.  Then,  too,  he  saw  at  a 
glance  what  invaluable  services  these  Macedonian  ladies 
could  offer  him,  enjoying  the  unfettered  and  respected 
position  which  was  sanctioned  by  the  society  of  their 
native  land.  There  was  a  wide  difference  between  their 
condition  and  that  of  the  women  of  Judea  and  Syria, 
who  were  scrupulously  confined  within  doors,  and  hence 
could  not  propagate  their  beliefs  outside  the  narrow  cir- 
cle of  their  families  or  intimate  friends  ;  while  these 
Macedonian  women  were  living  such  an  active  existence 
in  the  outside  world,  and  allowed  to  speak  openly  and 
unhindered  of  their  feelings.  They  were  destined  to 
become  eager  co-workers  in  the  diffusion  of  the  Gospel, — 
the  first  fruits  of  our  Christian  women  of  the  West  who, 
by  the  tenderness  of  their  faith,  by  their  prudent  zeal, 
their  adaptability,  their  noble  deeds  of  charity,  remain 
to  this  day  —  as  long  ago  at  Philippi  —  the  most  patient 
sowers  of  the  Good  Seed. 

Lydia  was  the  most  influential  of  these  zealous  dis- 
ciples ;  but  soon  into  her  home,  now  become  the  Sanc- 
tuary of  Philippi,  there  thronged  many  other  women 
whom  Paul  had  won  over  by  his  preaching  at  the  Pros- 
euk,  each  vying  with  the  other  in  eagerness  for  the  Great 
Cause.  Two  of  their  number,  Evodia  and  Syntache,  were 
particularly  active  in  establishing  the  success  of  the  new 
community.^  Soon  among  these  first  conquests  were  to 
be  reckoned  many  noble  and  valiant  men  :  such  were 
Epaphroditus,  whom  Paul  calls  "  my  brother,  my  fellow 
laborer  and  comrade  in  arms,"  ^  "  Clement,  and  others  as 
well,  who  helped  me  in  my  ministry."  ^  These  neophytes 
gave  themselves  so  unreservedly  to  the  cause  that  the 
Apostle  believed  that  their  future  perseverance  was  an 
assured  fact,  and  "  their  names  already  inscribed  in 
the  Book  of  Life,"*     To  the  Macedonians  by  birth,  on 

1  Philip,  iv.  2,  3.  3  philip.  iv.  3. 

2  Philip,  ii.  25.  *  Ibid. 


116  SAINT  PAUL. 

the  one  hand,  this  loyal  fidelity  was  a  national  trait  ;  the 
rest  Eome  had  fashioned  after  her  own  image,  moulding 
them  into  manly,  honest  characters,  whole-hearted  in  all 
they  thought  or  did.  Certainly  slaves  and  freedmen 
must  have  been  among  their  number,  since,  like  every 
other  Christian  congregation,  the  Church  at  Philippi  was 
always  open  to  the  lowliest  of  God's  little  ones  ;  it  would 
seem,  however,  that  freemen  were  in  the  predominance, 
and  cherished  their  title  of  Eoman  colonists  with  some- 
thing very  like  vanity  ;  doubtless  they  were  the  ones 
whom  the  Apostle  deemed  it  needful  to  remind  that  "our 
real  rights  of  citizenship  are  in  the  heavens,  whence  we 
await  the  coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus."  ^  Composed  for 
the  most  part  of  members  distinguished  for  wealth  and 
rank,  the  Church  at  Philippi  developed  in  an  atmosphere 
of  peacefulness  hitherto  unknown  to  the  Apostle  ;  as  for 
the  Jews,  since  they  were  so  few  in  numbers,  no  opposi- 
tion was  to  be  apprehended  from  that  quarter.  The 
persecution  which  they  were  the  first  to  start  everywhere 
else,  here  did  not  befall  the  disciples  until  a  much  later 
date,  and  then  only  owing  to  other  circumstances,  the 
cause  of  which  sprang,  not  from  religious  differences,  but 
from  certain  personal  interests  which  the  Pagans  regarded 
as  imperilled  by  the  new  sect. 

Although  Lydia's  house  was  Paul's  dwelling-place  dur- 
ing his  sojourn  (as  indeed  it  was  probably  the  only  sanc- 
tuary where  the  Bread  of  Life  was  broken)  the  Apostles 
lost  no  opportunities  of  being  present  at  the  Proseuk,  in 
their  eagerness  to  tell  the  story  of  Jesus's  coming  among 
men.  Now,  it  so  happened  that  on  the  road  leading  to  this 
meeting-place  there  lived  a  young  slave  girl  possessed  by 
the  spirit  of  Python.  These  female  diviners,  as  a  usual 
thing,  were  mere  ventriloquists,  largely  patronized  by 
the  people  ;  ^  consequently,  when  they  were  of  servile 
condition,  their  gifts  were  a  source  of  considerable  income 
to  their  masters.     There  is  good  reason  to  believe  that 

1  Philip,  iii.  20. 

2  Plutarch,  De  Defect.  Orac,  9  ;  Scholiast  of  Aristophanes,  Ad  Vesp., 
1014;  Suidas  and  Hesychius,  under  the  word  Uvdwv;  S.  Augustine,  De 
Civ.  Dei,  ii.  23. 


SECOND  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY.  — MACEDONIA.     117 

this  wise-woman  of  Philippi  was  endowed  with  some 
remarkable  qualities,  for  several  Pagan  speculators  had 
combined  in  the  enterprise  of  getting  possession  of  her, 
and  they  made  common  property  of  the  profits  accruing 
from  exploiting  her  unfortunate  notoriety.  Perhaps  she 
was  a  Jewess  by  birth,  or  it  may  have  been  mere  curi- 
osity which  brought  her  to  the  Proseuk  ;  at  any  rate,  she 
had  been  one  of  the  Apostle's  hearers  at  some  time,  and 
in  her  talk,  along  with  the  ecstatic  ravings  of  a  Python- 
ess, mingled  such  glimmerings  of  Christian  truth  as  she 
had  managed  to  pick  up.  "  We  came  across  the  woman," 
Saint  Luke  relates,  "  as  we  were  going  to  the  customary 
place  of  prayer.  She  began  to  follow  after  Paul  and  the 
rest  of  us,  crying  out,  *  These  men  are  the  servants  of  the 
Most  High  God,  who  preach  unto  you  the  way  of  Salva- 
tion.'    And  this  she  did  for  many  days." 

Importunate  as  the  girl  showed  herself,  Paul  was  loath 
to  lose  patience  with  her  because  of  her  distracted  wits  ; 
but  finally,  fearing  lest  these  praises  on  the  part  of  a 
possessed  creature  might  compromise  the  truth  of  the  Gos- 
pel, he  turned  and  faced  her,  bidding  the  spirit  which 
was  tormenting  her  to  depart.  "  I  command  thee,  in  the 
Name  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  go  out  of  her,"  he  said. 

On  the  instant  the  demon  disappeared,  leaving  the 
Pythoness  a  calm  and  collected  person,  free  to  speak  and 
act  as  she  chose,  but  powerless  ever  again  to  utter  the 
divinations  which  alone  had  made  her  valuable  to  her 
masters.  The  latter  were  not  long  in  discovering,  as 
they  noticed  the  change  worked  in  her  mind,  that  all 
hope  of  future  gains  from  her  must  be  abandoned.  In 
their  anger,  they  made  an  onslaught  upon  Paul  and  Silas, 
whom  they  regarded  as  responsible  for  her  cure,  and 
dragged  them  to  the  Agora,  where  the  city  magistrates 
held  their  sittings.^ 

To  base  their  claims  for  damages  on  the  ground  that 
certain  exorcisms  had  deprived  their  slave  of  all  com- 
mercial value  was  a  plea  which  would  not  have  been 
admitted  by  the  court.     The  plaintiffs  were  too  sharp  for 

1  Acts  xvi.  16-19. 


118  SAINT  PAUL. 

this.  With  a  ready  inventiveness  born  of  their  longing 
for  vengeance,  they  accused  the  Apostles  of  preaching  a 
new  religion.  Eome  rated  such  proselytizing  acts  as  a 
crime  against  the  state,  and  punished  such  as  were  guilty 
of  them  very  harshly,  —  with  transportation  if  the  crimi- 
nal were  a  Patrician,  with  death  if  only  one  of  the  common 
people.!  W^  is  tj.|^ie  this  law  was  not  applicable  to  the 
Provinces,  they  being  allowed  full  liberty  in  religious 
matters  ;  but  Philippi  was  not  an  ordinary  town  ;  as  a 
"  Colony  "  enjoying  the  Italian  Eights ,2  its  administration 
was  modelled  in  every  particular  after  that  of  the  me- 
tropolis, with  the  same  forms  of  government  and  under 
the  same  general  legislation."  The  language  of  the 
accusers  made  a  deep  impression  on  the  minds  of  the 
Duumvirs. 

"  These  men,"  the  plaintiffs  asserted,  "  are  overturning 
everything  in  our  city  ;  they  teach  customs  which  it  is 
unlawful  for  us  either  to  allow  or  to  practise,  since  we 
are  Eomans."  And  with  cunning  malignity  they  added, 
''  They  are  Jews,"  *  intending  thereby  to  remind  the  judges 
that  the  whole  race  had  just  been  expelled  from  Eome,^ 
and  henceforth  could  lay  no  claim  upon  their  clemency. 

The  sight  of  the  two  foreigners  hauled  so  roughly  be- 
fore the  tribunal,  and  the  outcries  of  the  owners  of  the 
Pythoness,  had  aroused  the  curiosity  of  the  crowd  of  idlers 

1  "  Qui  novas  et  usu  vel  ratione  incognitas  religiones  inducunt,  ex  qui- 
bus  animi  hominum  moveantur,  honestiores  deportantur,  humiliores  capite 
puniuntur."  Jul.  Paulus,  Sentent.,  v.  21  ;  Servius,  Ad  Virg.  ^neid,  viii, 
187  ;  Dio  Cassius,  vii.  36. 

2  Digest,  1.  XV.  6.  From  the  inscriptions  we  know  the  full  title  of 
Philippi, —  Colonia  Augusta  Julia  Victrix  Philippensium.     Heuzey,  p.  18. 

3  In  imitation  of  Rome,  Philippi  had  its  Curia  and  Senate,  which 
determined  its  municipal  legislation  ;  the  administration  of  justice  was 
intrusted  to  two  magistrates,  elected  annually,  and  styled  Duumvirs; 
like  the  Consuls,  they  had  their  lictors,  or  pafiSouxovs,  as  they  are  called  in 
the  Acts.  The  inscriptions  (see  Heuzey,  p.  71)  make  mention  of  édiles 
and  a  censor  also  as  among  the  magistrates  of  Philippi.  The  proper  title 
of  the  higher  magistrates  in  Roman  Colonies  was  Duumviri  Juridicando. 
In  certain  cities,  —  though  this  was  exceptional,  —  they  assumed  the  title 
of  Praetors,  a-Tpar-nyoi,  which  is  given  them  in  the  Acts.  Willems,  Droit 
Public  Romain,  p.  544  ;  Marquardt,  Romische  Staatsverwaltung,  i.  149. 

*  Acts  xvi.  20,  21. 

5  By  the  edict  of  Claudius  in  a.  d.  52. 


SECOND  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY.  — MACEDONIA.     119 

that  filled  the  public  square  ;  ^  soon  the  whole  populace 
was  flocking  to  the  Agora.  In  their  excitement,  the 
judges,  believing  that  it  was  simply  a  case  of  two  vaga- 
bond and  seditious  Jewish  charlatans,  did  not  even  take 
time  to  interrogate  the  prisoners  or  inquire  into  their  ver- 
sion of  the  affair.  To  make  short  work  of  the  matter, 
they  issued  orders  to  have  them  whipped.  A  post  was 
set  up  in  the  public  square  in  readiness  for  the  execution 
of  the  sentence  ;  hither  the  Apostles  were  dragged  by  the 
official  lictors,  who  tore  off  their  clothing,  and,  after  bind- 
ing them  naked  to  the  stake,  proceeded  to  scourge  them 
with  their  rods.^  The  sight  of  their  blood  shed  here  in 
public  did  not  suffice  to  pacify  the  populace  ;  in  order 
further  to  quiet  the  mob,  the  Duumvirs  ordered  that  the 
two  Jews  be  thrown  into  prison  and  strictly  guarded. 
The  jailer,  when  executing  the  orders  handed  him,  saw 
fit  to  immure  the  captives  in  the  deepest  of  his  dun- 
geons, with  their  feet  fastened  in  the  stocks,^  a  device  by 
which  the  limbs  were  fettered. 

Accusation,  sentence,  and  punishment  all  had  swept 
down  upon  their  heads  like  a  cloud-burst  from  the  hills, 
amid  such  a  shouting  and  tumult  that  neither  Paul  nor 
Silas  had  been  able  to  make  themselves  heard.  They  suf- 
fered their  cruel  beating  in  silence  and  bravely,  as  became 
them,  feeling  to  the  full  the  injustice  of  this  indignity, 
but  happy  nevertheless  to  endure  it  for  the  love  of  Jesus 
Christ.     Their  imprisonment  only  heightened  this  holy 

Ï  The  forum,  where  Paul  and  Silas  were  flogged,  was  located  in  the 
lower  town,  just  south  of  the  Egnatian  Way.  Very  likely,  the  four  mas- 
sive pillars  which  are  still  to  be  seen  near  the  eastern  gate  marked  its 
site.     Lewin,  Life  of  S.  Paul,  vol.  i.  p.  211  ;  Heuzey,  pp.  87-90. 

2  Aulius  Gellius',  x.  3  ;  Livy,  ii.  5  ;  viii.  32,  33. 

^  These  stocks  (^vXov,  nervus)  were  sometimes  of  iron  (Isidorus,  Orig., 
ix.),  but  more  often  of  wood,  "lignea  custodia."  Plautus,  Pœnidus,  v.  6. 
28.  It  had  five  orifices,  thus  enabling  the  officials  to  stretch  the  prisoner's 
limbs  more  or  less  widely  apart,  and  thereby  increase  the  agony  of  the 
captive  as  they  saw  fit  : 

"  Lignoque  plantas  inserit 
Divaricatis  cruribus." 

Prudentius,  Peristephanon,  v.  251,  252. 

See  the  cut  of  the  Ligmnn  found  at  Pompeii,  Ed.  Le  Blant,  Revue  Ar- 
chéologique, Mars- Avril,  1889,  p.  149. 


120  SAINT  PAUL. 

spirit  of  gladness.  At  midnight,  still  bleeding  and  dis- 
figured as  they  were,  their  souls  broke  forth  in  hymns  of 
praise  to  the  Lord.  The  other  prisoners  were  listening  to 
the  sound  of  these  songs  rising  from  the  lowest  cells,  when 
"  of  a  sudden  the  earth  began  to  quake  so  mightily  that  the 
foundations  of  the  prison  were  shaken.  All  doors  opened 
at  the  same  time,  and  the  chains  of  the  prisoners  were 
broken."  The  jailer,  wakening  with  a  great  start,  has- 
tened to  the  scene.  He  saw  the  doors  standing  ajar,  sup- 
posed at  once  that  all  had  escaped,  and,  in  his  despair,  — 
for  he  had  to  answer  for  his  prisoners  with  his  life,^ — 
drew  his  sword,  and  was  about  to  kill  himself,  when  Paul 
cried  out  to  him,  — 

"Do  thyself  no  hurt.     We  are  all  here." 

The  keeper  called  for  a  light,  and  rushed  through  the 
cells.  It  was  just  as  Paul  had  declared,  —  all  doors  were 
open,  prisoners  stood  about  unshackled,  but  every  one 
was  there,  and  all  were  filled  with  great  amazement. 
The  Apostles  alone  faced  him  unmoved  and  quite  calm, 
showing  no  fear  of  the  shock  which  had  seemed  about 
to  engulf  them  all;  it  was  as  if  they  had  seen  every- 
thing through  the  darkness,  both  the  state  of  the  prison 
and  the  desperation  of  their  jailer. 

This  man,  overwhelmed  by  such  marvels,  thrcAV  him- 
self trembling  at  the  feet  of  the  captives  whom  he  had 
treated  so  harshly  only  the  evening  before.  The  words 
of  the  Pythoness,  which  must  have  reached  his  ears,  now 
came  up  before  his  mind;  he  recalled  how  she  had 
spoken  of  these  strangers  as  "  servants  of  the  Most  High 
God,"  calling  their  preaching  "  the  Way  of  Salvation."  ^ 

"Masters,"  he  cried  out,  still  shaken  with  emotion, 
"  what  must  I  do  to  be  saved  ?" 

"  Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus,"  was  the  reply,  "  and  you 
shall  be  saved,  you  and  your  family." 

The  last  words  were  addressed  to  the  whole  house- 
hold, who  had  hastened  to  surround  the  governor  of  the 
prison  and  were  now  listening  to  what  passed  between 

1  Digest,  De  Custodia  et  Exhihitione  Reorum,  xlviii.  iii.  12  and  16. 

2  Acts  xvi.  17. 


SECOND  MI  S  SI  ON AR  Y  JO  URNE  Y.  —  MA  CED  ONIA.     121 

him  and  the  strangers.  Paul  and  Silas  proceeded  to  tell 
them  the  word  of  the  Lord,  and  in  the  warmth  of  their 
burning  language  the  Apostles  forgot  the  pitiable  condi- 
tion in  which  they  had  been  left  since  the  scourging  ; 
but  their  tattered  garments,  and  the  dark  scars  still 
bleeding  where  the  rods  had  cut  into  the  flesh,  were  only 
too  visible  to  the  eyes  of  their  new  disciples  ;  they  must 
not  be  permitted  to  weary  themselves  longer  with  preach- 
ing while  still  in  this  state.  There  was  a  fountain  in  the 
inner  prison.  Here  their  wounds  were  dressed,  ''and 
forthwith,"  says  the  Acts,  in  these  very  waters  "  the 
jailer  received  baptism  together  with  his  whole  family." 
Grace  had  worked  mightily  within  these  souls  and  trans- 
formed them  ;  they  had  no  room  left  in  their  hearts  for 
any  feelings  save  of  exceeding  gladness  at  being  now  of 
the  Christian  Faith.  The  Apostles  were  conducted  into 
the  dwelling  of  their  keeper,  were  made  to  rest  them- 
selves upon  couches  while  the  table  was  being  spread 
for  them,  and  the  whole  household  rejoiced  that  it  had 
been  given  to  them  to  believe  in  the  Lord.  These  were 
still  those  happy  days  when  the  Holy  Eucharist  was  the 
termination  of  Christian  repasts;  hence  we  are  justified  in 
presuming  that  the  banquet  offered  them  by  the  head 
jailer  of  Philippi  was  a  Love-feast,  an  Agape,  and  that, 
at  its  close,  Paul  broke  the  Sacred  Bread  for  them,  com- 
municating to  his  new-won  brethren  the  Body  and  Blood 
of  the  Lord. 

The  night  which  had  borne  such  happy  results  within 
the  prison  walls  had  not  been  passed  without  consider- 
able anxiety  on  the  part  of  the  Duumvirs.  On  reflection 
it  struck  them  forcibly  that  this  sentence  of  theirs,  given 
without  any  trial,  might  be  fraught  with  perilous  conse- 
quences for  themselves  should  their  victims  decide  to 
appeal  to  the  Eoman  Governor  of  Macedonia.^  On  the 
other  hand,  Lydia  and  her  companions  in  the  Faith  cer- 
tainly had  not  remained  all  this  time  without  protesting 
against  the  wrong,  or  without  at  least  publicly  expressing 

1  Cicero,  In  Verrem,  ii.  i.  9  ;  Dio  Cassius,  Iviii.  1  ;  Tacitus,  Hist.,  i.  6  ; 
Philo,  /n  Flaccum,  12. 


122  SAINT  PAUL. 

their  own  indignation.  Disquieted  and  anxious  to  get 
rid  of  this  unfortunate  affair  as  speedily  as  possible,  the 
Duumvirs  despatched  some  of  their  lictors  as  soon  as  it 
was  dawn  to  bid  the  master  of  the  jail  release  the  two 
prisoners. 

In  great  joy  at  this  news,  the  latter  hurried  to  seek 
Paul.  "  The  magistrates  have  sent  orders  that  you  are 
to  be  set  free,"  he  told  them.  "  Leave,  then,  at  once,  and 
peace  be  with  you." 

The  lictors  had  followed  in  the  keeper's  train.  Paul 
turned  to  these  officers.  "  What  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  after 
having  had  us  publicly  whipped  with  rods,  with  no  sen- 
tence passed  according  to  law,  they  proceed  to  cast  us, 
who  are  Eoman  citizens,  into  this  prison,  and  now  they 
thrust  us  out  in  secrecy.  This  shall  not  be.  Let  them 
come  themselves  to  bring  us  forth." 

This  hardy  answer,  being  at  once  reported  to  the  Du- 
umvirs, completely  disconcerted  them.  Well  they  knew 
that  the  laws  entitled  Valeria  and  Porcia  forbade  the 
beating  of  citizens  by  the  lictors'  rods,^  and  in  the  pres- 
ent case  the  misdemeanor,  while  serious  enough  in  itself, 
would  be  ranked  as  nothing  less  than  a  criminal  offence, 
on  account  of  the  omission  of  anything  like  a  judicial 
inquiry  and  trial.  Should  the  strangers  make  good  their 
claims  and  report  the  outrage  perpetrated  on  the  Eoman 
name  in  their  person,  what  might  not  be  expected,  not 
only  from  the  wrath  of  the  Governor,  but  even  from  the 
Philippian  colonists  themselves,  jealous  as  they  were  of 
their  rights  as  citizens  of  Kome. 

The  judges,  now  trembling  for  their  lives  in  the  pres- 
ence of  their  victims,  made  every  concession  demanded 
of  them  ;  they  had  hastily  obeyed  their  summons,  and 
now  besought  the  Apostles  to  overlook  their  mistake, 
and,  after  conducting  them  with  every  token  of  respect 
outside  the  prison  walls,  begged  them,  as  a  personal  favor, 
to  quit  the  city  in  order  to  avoid  fresh  troubles.^ 

1  Cicero,  In  Verrem,  ii.  v.  62-66  ;  Livy,  x.  9. 

2  MS.  D  of  the  Acts  contains  the  following  words,  which,  however 
devoid  of  authority,  cannot  fail  to  be  of  interest  to  the  reader  :  "  The 


SECOND  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY.  — MACEDONIA.     123 

Paul  at  once  grasped  all  the  advantages  to  be  gained 
by  complying  ;  for  his  name  had  been  too  much  noised 
al30ut  of  late  for  him  to  continue  his  preaching  without 
risk  of  exciting  further  high  feeling,  and  again  raising 
popular  dissensions.  His  departure  at  this  juncture,  on 
the  contrary,  after  the  act  of  public  reparation  which  he 
had  extorted  from  the  authorities,  would  leave  the  Chris- 
tians in  high  repute,  while  the  Church  of  Philippi  was 
sure  of  being  treated  thereafter  with  respect  by  the  multi- 
tude, and  with  unuttered  but  sincere  gratitude  by  the 
magistrates.  He  accordingly  promised  to  leave  town,  yet 
only  on  condition  that  he  be  allowed  to  order  his  depart- 
ure in  a  manner  becoming  his  dignity,  taking  his  own 
time,  and  with  no  restraints  placed  on  his  liberty. 

On  quitting  the  prison,  Paul  betook  himself  with  Silas 
to  Lydia's  residence.  There  he  met  all  the  brethren  and 
comforted  them.  Following  his  general  custom,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  organize  the  community  which  he  was  now 
obliged  to  leave,  and  selected  the  various  leaders  who 
were  to  direct  its  affairs.  Did  he  at  this  time  establish 
the  several  orders  in  the  ministry  for  this  Church,  and 
appoint  the  Deacons  and  Bishops  whom  he  salutes  later 
on  when  writing  his  Epistle  to  the  Philippians  ?  ^  It  does 
not  seem  likely.  The  Hierarchy  developed  only  by  de- 
grees, though  more  rapidly,  to  be  sure,  in  this  Church 
than  in  any  other,  since  its  Eoman  and  Macedonian  mem- 
bers could  not  have  conceived  of  any  social  organization 
or  government  without  a  clearly  defined  subordination 
of  its  constituent  parts.  Probably  for  the  present  Paul 
thought  it  sufficient  to  form  a  body  of  Elders,  in  whose 
number  he  left  Timothy  and  Luke,  the  former  for  but  a 
few  months,  the  latter  for  a  longer  period,  since  five  years 
will  have  passed  before  we  meet  Luke  again  in  the  com- 
pany of  Paul.  By  depriving  himself  of  these  two  cher- 
ished comrades,  the  Apostle  gave  the  Philippians  the  best 

magistrates  with  a  number  of  their  friends  came  to  the  prison,  and  said, 
'  We  knew  not  that  you  were  religious  men'  ;  "  while  excusing  themselves, 
they  begged  them  to  depart,  "  '  for  fear,'  they  said,  '  lest  the  people  should 
again  rise  up  against  you,  crying  out  against  us.'  " 
1  Philip,  i.  1  ;  ii.  25. 


124  SAINT  PAUL, 

proof  of  how  well  he  loved  them,  —  better  perhaps  than 
even  his  dear  Galatians.  Their  affection,  indeed,  while 
not  less  warm  than  that  of  the  latter,  gave  promise  of 
greater  constancy  ;  they  were  ever  after  "  his  joy  and  his 
crown."  1  From  his  prison  at  Eome  he  writes  in  their 
praise  "  that  they  had  always  obeyed  him  "  ;  ^  that  they 
had  supported  him  in  every  season  of  need  ^  with  unpar- 
alleled generosity;  and  that  one  of  his  last  wishes  was 
to  be  once  more  in  their  midst,  with  them  to  await  the 
coming  of  the  Lord.* 


II.  —  Thessalonica. 

Paul  and  Silas,  taking  the  Egnatian  Eoad,  turned  their 
faces  towards  Amphipolis.  One  day's  walk  across  fertile 
fields  watered  by  fresh  springs  brought  them  to  their 
destination.  Although  Philippi,  especially  since  raised 
to  the  rank  of  a  Eoman  Colony,  had  been  waxing  more 
and  more  powerful,  Amphipolis  still  remained  what  it  had 
been  before  the  country  was  reduced  to  a  Eoman  Prov- 
ince, the  metropolis  of  this  part  of  Macedonia.^  From 
its  position  on  a  long  tongue  of  land  formed  by  the  Stry- 
mon,  about  three  miles  from  its  mouth,^  the  town  held  a 
commanding  post  over  the  many  highways  which,  starting 
from  the  coast,  penetrate  far  away  inland."^     The  impor- 

1  Philip,  iv.  1. 

2  Philip,  ii.  12. 

3  Philip,  iv.  15-17. 

4  Philip,  i.  23-27. 

5  Paulus  ^milius,  after  the  battle  of  Pystra  (168  b.c.)  divided  Mace- 
donia into  four  parts,  and  made  Amphipolis  the  capital  of  the  first  (Livy, 
xlv.  29).  Despite  this  title,  Philippi,  once  it  attained  the  dignity  of  a 
Roman  Colony,  overshadoAved  it  in  importance,  and  was  popularly  re- 
garded, just  as  we  read  in  the  Acts,  as  the  foremost,  "  the  first  city,"  of 
this  portion  of  Macedonia;  titis  ia-rl  irpérr)  ttjs  /jLcplSos  rrjs  Mo/ceSoyios 
troAis,  KoXévia.  This  last  word,  KoKévia,  explains  why  such  superiority 
was  attributed  to  Philippi. 

6  Hence  its  name  of  Amphipolis,  "The  City  between  Two  Rivers." 
Thucydides,  i.  100;  iv.  102.  A  village,  called  by  the  Greeks  Neochorion, 
and  by  the  Turks  Jeni  Kene,  now  stands  on  the  site  of  Amphipolis. 

'  Lake  Cercinitis  (the  modern  Takenos)  extends  to  the  northwest  of 
the  town  for  a  distance  of  some  seven  leagues,  and  is  bounded  on  the 


SECOND  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY.  — MACEDONIA.     125 

tance  of  such  a  situation  had  moved  the  Athenians  to 
found  a  colony  here  ;  since  then  the  city  had  remained 
Grecian  in  feeling  and  racial  features.  Paul  and  Silas  did 
not  tarry  here. 

The  Via  Egnatia,  after  passing  through  Amphipolis, 
fringes  the  bay  made  by  the  Strymon,  at  first  skirting 
along  the  foot  of  the  hills  which  border  the  seacoast, 
further  on  striking  out  across  woodland  and  meadow. 
Thereupon  it  turns  off  from  the  sea,  cutting  across  the 
base  of  the  Chalcidic  peninsula,  and  finding  its  way  to 
the  depth  of  the  valleys  which  divide  this  lofty  promon- 
tory from  the  mountain  chains  of  the  continent.  A  glen, 
famous  as  the  Vale  of  Arethusa,  is  the  first  of  these  long 
clefts  in  the  hills.^  Here  stood  the  tomb  of  Euripides, 
beneath  the  shade  of  oak  and  plane  trees.^  Beyond  this 
spot  lie  two  lakes  in  a  narrow  valley,  overhung  on  either 
side  by  hills  covered  with  olive  trees  ;  the  rivulets  which 
course  down  these  slopes  keep  the  turf  and  thickets  al- 
ways fresh  and  green. 

Apollonia,  the  Apostles'  second  stopping-place,  was 
situated  in  this  lake  country.^  Paul  made  a  no  longer 
sojourn  here  than  at  Amphipolis,  and  doubtless  for  the 
same  reasons,  —  the  absence  of  Israelites,  and  the  thor- 
oughly Grecian  complexion  of  the  population.  "  The 
synagogue  of  the  Jews  was  at  Thessalonica,"  ^  the  Acts 
tells  us,  and  thither  the  Apostles  were  directing  their 
steps. 

They  were  separated  from  that  town  now  by  only  a  line 
of  hills  which  shuts  in  the  lacustrine  basin  of  Mygdonia 

north  by  a  mountain  range  ;  hence  all  the  highways  of  travel  passing  to 
the  south  of  the  lake  centred  at  Amphipolis,  which,  on  account  of  its 
situation,  was  known  in  primitive  times  as  "E.vv4a  ôSoi,  "  The  Nine  Roads." 
One  of  these  roads  was  the  Via  Egnatia. 

1  Clarke,  Travels,  iv.  p,  381  ;  Leake,  Travels  in  Northern  Greece,  iii.  170 
et  seq.  and  461. 

2  Plutarch,  Lycurgus,  31  ;  Pliny,  Hist.  Nat.,  xxxi.  19;  Aulus  Gellius, 
XV.  20  ;  Ammianus  Marcellinus,  xxvii.  4. 

^  According  to  Tafel,  between  the  two  lakes,  on  the  spot  where  the 
modern  village  of  Klisali  stands  ;  according  to  Leake  and  Cousinery,  it 
was  farther  to  the  east,  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  Polina,  lying  along 
the  heights  to  the  south  of  Lake  Bolbe. 

*  Acts  xvii.  1. 


126  SAINT  PAUL. 

on  the  west.  Once  these  heights  were  crossed,  they 
caught  sight  of  the  snowy  summits  of  Olympus  lying  to 
the  south  ;  to  the  west  were  the  plains  watered  by  the 
Vardar  ;  Thessalonica  lay  at  their  feet,  at  the  northern- 
most end  of  the  bay,  safely  screened  from  storm- winds  by 
the  cliffs  of  the  Chalcidic  peninsula.  Paul  had  no  eyes 
for  anything  in  the  beautiful  scene  save  this  city,  which 
he  counted  upon  making  one  of  the  chief  centres  of 
Christianity.  Indeed,  in  all  Greece,  if  we  except  Cor- 
inth, there  is  no  harbor  with  a  finer  situation  ;  the  an- 
chorage is  of  the  best,  the  roadstead  is  as  smooth  as  a 
lake,  while  the  neighboring  valleys  give  access  to  high- 
ways leading  into  Epirus  and  Upper  Macedonia.^  This 
site,  which  in  our  day  has  been  the  cause  of  unexpected 
prosperity  for  Salonica,^  had  even  then  made  it  a  favorite 
commercial  centre.  From  Italy  and  the  European  coun- 
tries, merchants,  legionaries,  prefects,  and  delegates  from 
Eome  were  continually  passing  back  and  forth  along  the 
Egnatian  Eoad,  whether  homeward  bound  or  with  busi- 
ness to  transact  in  the  Asiatic  Provinces.  Located  at  the 
very  centre  of  this  tide  of  travel,  boasting  furthermore  of 
the  best  haven  for  vessels  along  the  coast,  Thessalonica 
had  already  grown  to  be  one  of  the  most  frequented 
ports  of  the  Archipelago.^  Ships  of  every  description, 
and  hailing  from  all  quarters,  set  sail  from  here  daily, 
carrying  to  far-off  lands,  along  with  their  costly  cargoes, 
whatever  news  was  to  be  picked  up  along  these  busy 

1  The  valleys  of  the  Vardm-  and  Indje  Karasou. 

2  Thessalonica  could  not  boast  of  the  importance  it  enjoys  in  our  times, 
for  now  the  railways  have  brought  to  its  doors  the  traffic  of  both  East 
and  West  ;  still,  even  in  those  days  the  Egnatian  Road  united  it  to  the 
east  with  Thrace  and  Byzantium,  and  with  Epirus,  Dyrrachium,  and  Brun- 
disium  to  the  west. 

3  For  a  long  time  Thessalonica  was  a  mere  hamlet,  known  as  Thermse, 
from  the  hot  salt  springs  so  plentiful  in  its  neighborhood.  Struck  by  the 
advantages  of  its  site  on  the  bay,  Cassandrus,  one  of  Alexander's  gen- 
erals, transported  thither  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighboring  villages,  and 
named  the  new  city  after  his  wife,  Thessalonica,  Philip's  daughter  (Strabo, 
Excerp.  ex  1.  vii,  2).  In  our  day,  under  the  shorter  name  of  Salonica 
(Saloniki),  it  is  the  second  city  in  European  Turkey,  and  still  preserves 
the  relics  of  its  long  and  glorious  past,  —  cyclopean  ruins,  triumphal 
arches,  remains  of  Roman  temples,  and  Byzantine  and  Venetian  edifices. 


SECOND  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY.  —  MACEDONIA.     127 

Macedonian  coasts.  It  was  owing  to  this  ceaseless  flux 
and  reflux  of  commerce  that  the  Gospel  preached  at 
Thessalonica  got  itself  carried  so  swiftly  from  one  end  of 
the  Mediterranean  to  the  other.  In  fact,  only  a  few 
months  after  his  departure  we  find  the  Apostle  writing 
to  the  Thessalonians,  "  From  your  midst  the  word  of  the 
Lord  has  resounded,  not  only  throughout  Macedonia  and 
Achaia,  but  in  all  places."  ^ 

Their  maritime  trade  was  not  the  only  means  of  liveli- 
hood common  in  Thessalonica  :  a  large  part  of  the  popu- 
lation were  engaged  in  industrial  pursuits,  in  weaving 
especially  ;  then,  as  nowadays,  the  town  was  noted  for 
its  textile  productions,  brilliant  colored  rugs,  and  coarser 
stuffs  of  goat  hair.  It  was  from  among  these  working 
people  that  the  Gospel  was  to  bring  forth  its  richest 
harvest.  Paul  foresaw  it,  as  he  marked  the  laborious 
nature  of  their  life,  and  the  serious,  contemplative  char- 
acter of  the  artisans.  His  first  care  was  to  win  for  him- 
self a  place  in  their  midst.  After  hiring  lodgings  at  the 
house  of  a  Jew,  named  Jason,  he  immediately  set  to 
work  at  weaving  night  and  day,  that  he  might  earn  his 
own  living  and  owe  nothing  to  any  man.-^  When  Sab- 
bath came  round,  he  betook  himself  to  the  synagogue, 
and  there  discoursed  with  his  brethren  of  Israel.  Their 
one  absorbing  thought  at  Thessalonica,  as  indeed  through- 
out the  Dispersion,  concerned  the  kingship  of  the  Mes- 
siah ;  they  looked  for  Him  to  come  in  His  glory,  as 
a  Conqueror,  ready  to  bestow  the  empire  of  the  world 
upon  the  worshippers  of  Jehovah.  Paul's  first  task  was 
to  dispel  this  dream.  Besting  his  argument  on  the  Scrip- 
ture which  he  was  expounding,  he  showed  them  how  it 
was  foretold  therein  that  the  Christ  must  needs  suffer 
and  thereafter  rise  from  the  dead.  These  prophecies  had 
been  but  recently  fulfilled  in  that  Jesus  Who  had  been 
crucified  and  raised  again  to  life  at  Jerusalem.     "  'T  is 

J  1  Thess.  i.  8. 

2  1  Thess.  ii.  9  ;  2  Thess.  iii.  8  et  seq.  Very  likely  Jason  the  Jew  traded 
in  coarse  stuffs,  and  for  this  reason  the  Apostle  hired  lodgings  in  his 
house,  in  order  to  work  at  home  on  the  weaving  of  such  articles  as  were 
sold  by  his  landlord. 


128  SAINT  PAUL. 

He,"  was  Paul's  conclusion,  "  Who  is  the  Messiah,  and 
He  it  is  Whom  I  preach  unto  you."  ^ 

All  in  vain,  and  for  three  successive  Sabbaths,  did  the 
Apostle  strive  to  make  them  accept  these  truths  ;  the 
Jews  stubbornly  refused  to  acknowledge  the  possibility 
of  a  poor  and  humble  Saviour,  —  one  who  had  died  the 
death  of  a  malefactor.  "  Some  few  Israelites  were  per- 
suaded, and  joined  themselves  to  Paul  and  Silas,"  but  in 
compensation  for  this  failure  the  Good  News  was  gladly 
welcomed  by  the  delighted  proselytes.  Many  women  of 
the  highest  rank  who  frequented  the  synagogues  gave 
themselves  to  the  Christ  ;  and  it  proved  equally  welcome 
to  a  large  number  of  Greeks  affiliated  to  Mosaism  and 
"  serving  God."  ^ 

Thus  it  came  about  that  the  Church  of  Thessalonica 
was  composed  almost  entirely  of  Pagans,  to  whom  Paul, 
abandoning  all  hopes  of  moving  the  mass  of  his  fellow 
countrymen,  devoted  himself  entirely.  Most  of  these 
converts,  with  the  exception  of  certain  noblewomen, 
were  artisans.  The  Apostle  continued  to  instruct  them, 
no  longer  in  the  synagogue,  as  he  had  been  doing  dur- 
ing the  first  three  weeks  of  his  stay,  but  by  going  here 
and  there  among  them,  meeting  them  in  private  houses, 
and  in  that  of  Jason  principally,  where  he  had  lodgings. 
Here  they  could  meet  together,  far  from  the  hubbub  and 
excitement  of  the  streets,  and  as  he  went  on  with  his 
day's  stint  Paul  could  talk  to  them  of  Jesus.  His  first 
letter  to  the  Thessalonians  gives  us  some  notion  of  the 
manner  of  Paul's  preaching,  as  he  sat  there  "  like  a  father 
in  the  midst  of  his  children,"  exhorting  his  fellow  toilers, 
"  cheering  them,  and  urging  them  to  walk  in  a  manner 
worthy  of  God,  Who  had  called  them  to  His  Kingdom 
and  His  glory."  ^  Par  from  giving  the  rein  to  his  fiery 
genius,  in  the  formation  of  these  humble  souls  he  was 
only  too  anxious  to  show  himself  always  mild,  calm,  and 
of  an  imperturbable  patience  ;  quoting  his  own  figure, 
he  wanted  to  be  like  a  mother  and  a  nurse  to  his  dear 

1  Acts  xvii.  3.  3  1  Thess.  ii.  11,  12. 

^  Acts  xvii.  4. 


SECOND  MISSIONAR  Y  JO  URNE  Y.  —  MA  CEDONIA.     129 

children.^  The  tender  moods  of  a  great  man  always 
lend  an  irresistible  attraction  to  him  in  the  eyes  of  his 
admirers.  Paul's  gentleness,  inspired  by  his  passion  for 
souls,  clothed  even  that  nervous  energy  of  his  with  a 
powerful  fascination  ;  nowhere  did  his  influence  win  more 
striking  or  gratifying  conquests.  His  words  were  lis- 
jtened  to,  not  as  if  falling  from  "human  lips,  but  as  it 
were  the  voice  of  God."  ^  All  this  worked  so  mightily 
to  stir  men's  hearts  and  sow  the  seeds  of  virtue,  that  it 
was  not  long  before  those  wonders  whereby  the  Spirit 
was  then  wont  to  manifest  His  Presence  appeared  again 
among  these  new  disciples,  —  Gifts  of  Prophecy,  Gifts  of 
Tongues  and  Miracles.^ 

A  community  of  Gentiles  wherein  God  was  revealing 
Himself  so  visibly  would  not  be  likely  to  feel  the  charm 
of  the  Mosaical  Books,  which  were  so  potent  a  weapon 
in  dealing  with  sons  of  Israel.  If  we  may  judge  from 
the  tone  of  the  Epistles  addressed  to  this  Church,  Paul 
while  with  them  relied  very  little  upon  those  conclusions 
drawn  from  the  Old  Testament  which  are  so  frequent  in 
his  Apostolic  sermons.  He  simply  expounded  the  New 
Faith,  the  duties  of  a  Christian  life,  "  the  commandments 
of  the  Lord  Jesus."  * 

"  The  will  of  God,"  he  tells  them,  "  and  your  holiness 
is  that  you  abstain  from  fornication.  .  .  .  God  has  not 
called  you  unto  uncleanness,  but  to  holiness.  This  is 
why  he  that  despiseth  these  rules  despiseth  not  man,  but 
God,  Who  hath  given  unto  you  His  Holy  Spirit.  As 
touching  brotherly  love,  you  yourselves  have  learned 
from  God  to  love  one  another;  and  this  indeed  you  do 
towards  all  the  brethren  in  Macedonia,  but  we  entreat 
you,  brothers,  to  abound  more  and  more."  ^ 

From  this  foundation  of  pure  morality  there  towered 
a  mystery  which  was  of  absorbing  interest  to  his  Thessa- 
lonian  hearers,  —  his  allusions  to  the  consummation  of 
the  ages.      The  third  Gospel  (wherein   Saint  Luke  has 

1  1  Thess.  ii.  7.  *  1  Thess.  iv.  2. 

2  1  Thess.  ii.  13.  5  1  Thess.  iv.  3-10. 
*  1  Thess.  i.  5. 


130  SAINT  PAUL. 

recorded  the  Glad  Tidings  as  he  got  them  from  his  mas- 
ter's lips)  shows  us  in  what  light  the  Apostle  set  forth 
this  end  of  all  time  :  — 

"  There  shall  be  signs  in  the  sun,  in  the  moon,  and 
in  the  stars,  and  on  the  earth  anguish  among  the  nations 
by  reason  of  the  roaring  of  the  sea  and  the  floods,  men 
withering  away  for  fear  as  they  await  what  must  come 
upon  the  inhabited  world  ;  for  the  powers  of  heaven  shall 
be  shaken.  Then  shall  men  see  the  Son  of  Man  coming 
in  a  cloud  with  great  might  and  majesty.  And  for  you, 
when  these  things  shall  begin  to  come  to  pass,  look  up 
and  lift  up  your  heads,  because  your  Redemption  is  nigh. 
Of  a  truth,  I  say  unto  you,  this  generation  shall  not 
pass  away  till  all  be  accomplished."  ^ 

The  impression  left  on  their  minds  by  these  last  words 
was  that  these  final  catastrophes  were  imminent,  —  an 
impression  rendered  even  more  thrilling  and  intense  by 
the  fact  that  the  Pagan  world  was  then  agitated  by 
similar  terrors.  The  reign  of  Claudius  was  nearing  its 
end  :  the  Imperial  power,  despoiled  of  all  its  prestige  by 
the  mad  excesses  of  Caligula,  had  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  froward,  wicked  women.  Messalina  had  perished,  but 
Agrippina  was  now  proving  herself  all-powerful  with  her 
imbecile  lord,  as  well  as  with  the  Nero  whose  character 
she  was  forming.  The  Eome  of  Augustus  and  Tiberius 
seemed  about  to  be  engulfed  in  the  mire  of  its  own 
infamy,  and  sinister  omens  were  multiplying  daily,  like 
black  clouds  before  a  storm.  Here  a  comet  was  seen, 
there  showers  of  blood  ;  there  were  monstrous  spawnings 
of  men  and  beasts,  the  monument  of  Drusus  was  struck 
by  lightning,  the  temple  of  Jupiter  Victor  opened  of 
itself,  —  all  these  presages  of  disaster  filled  men's  minds 
with  awe.2  From  Italy  these  dreadful  tales  soon  found 
their  way  along  the  great  Egnatian  Eoad  ;  the  news  was 
discussed  at  Thessalonica  with  bated  breath,  in  Christian 
gatherings  as  well  as  in  the  Pagan  meeting-places. 

1  Luke  xxi.  25,  32. 

2  Tacitus,  Annales,  xii.  64  ;  Suetonius,  Claudius,  43-46  ;  Dio  Cassius, 
Ix.  34,  35. 


SECOND  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY.  — MACEDONIA.     131 

The  disciples  appealed  to  Paul,  asking  him,  "  Are  not 
these  signs  the  forerunners  of  the  end  ?  Is  not  the  Day 
upon  us  ? " 

The  Apostle  could  make  no  other  response  save  such 
as  he  already  had  given  them,  and  in  the  Master's  words  : 
"  None  but  My  Father  knoweth  that  day  and  that  hour, — 
not  even  the  Angels  of  Heaven."  ^  f"  The  Day  of  the  Lord 
will  come  like  a  thief  in  the  night.  Men  shall  talk  of 
peace  and  safety,  and,  of  a  sudden,  destruction  shall  fall 
upon  man  like  the  sorrows  of  a  woman  in  travail  ;  there 
shall  be  no  way  of  escape."  ^  Hence  the  Apostle  drew 
the  lesson  of  leaving  to  God  the  secrets  of  the  future, 
"doing  your  best  to  live  without  troubling  yourself  or 
others,  tending  to  your  business  and  working  with  your 
hands,  that  thus  you  may  walk  honorably  before  the 
world,  and  want  nothing  of  any  man."  ^ 

But  in  this  matter  he  found  it  hard  to  make  them  obey 
his  counsels  ;  full  of  their  new  Faith,  and  with  the  hope 
of  a  speedy  end  to  their  earthly  trials,  the  Christian  work- 
ing people  of  Thessalonica  applied  themselves  with  little 
spirit  to  the  occupations  by  which  they  earned  their 
living.  All  in  vain  did  the  Apostle,  preaching  by  his 
example,  work  at  his  weaving  day  and  night  ;  the  activity 
of  business  life  disgusted  them,  a  listless  feeling  crept 
over  them,  and  idleness  became  the  crying  fault  of  this 
Christian  body,  bringing  about  a  state  of  indigence  and 
distress.  Always  the  first  to  suffer  for  others,  Paul  felt 
the  hardships  and  humiliating  results  of  this  sad  state  of 
things  more  than  any  one  else.  Happily  Philippi  was 
not  far  off.  Lydia  and  the  more  fortunate  Christians  of 
that  Church  were  made  aware  of  the  sad  condition  to 
which  the  brethren  at  Thessalonica  were  reduced  ;  on  two 
occasions  they  forwarded  large  alms  gifts  to  them,  and 
Paul  accepted  them,  willing  for  their  sakes  to  continue 
this  deviation  from  his  great  principle  of  conduct,  —  not 
to  be  indebted  to  his  disciples  for  temporal  aid.*     Eight 

1  Matt.  XXV.  36. 

2  1  Thess.  V.  2,  3. 
8  1  Thess.  iv.  11. 

*  Philip,  iv.  15, 16.    The  necessity  he  was  under  of  supplying  something 


132  SAINT  PAUL. 

years  later  he  reminds  them  of  this  proof  of  his  confi- 
dence, the  only  instance  of  the  kind  in  his  life's  story  : 
"No  other  Church  has  made  me  a  sharer  in  its  goods, 
and  I  have  received  naught  from  any  one  save  you 
alone."  1 

The  Apostle  was  giving  himself  up  entirely  to  the  work 
of  establishing  this  community  of  Christian  laborers  when 
the  persecution  broke  out  that  was  to  rob  it  of  his  aid. 
The  Jews,  vexed  and  indignant  at  seeing  the  women  of 
noble  rank  along  with  a  goodly  number  of  proselytes 
deserting  the  Synagogue,  were  in  a  hurry  to  get  rid  of 
the  two  strangers  who  were  the  cause  of  these  ravages. 
Certain  sayings  current  among  the  Christians  concerning 
political  matters  furnished  them  with  the  pretext  they 
were  looking  for.  At  the  prospect  of  Claudius's  speedy 
demise  and  the  uncertainty  which  shadowed  the  throne, 
now  become  the  prey  of  scheming  women,  it  was  natural 
for  men  to  hazard  a  whispered  query,  "  To  whom  does  the 
Empire  belong  ?  "  Paul  replied  with  words  that  were 
intended  to  raise  the  thoughts  of  the  brethren  above  this 
world  which  passeth  away.  "  Your  true  King  is  Jesus  "  ^ 
was  his  answer.  On  the  Jews'  lips  this  speech  was  ca- 
pable of  being  twisted  into  a  dangerous  weapon- against 
its  author.  They  began  by  repeating  it  scornfully  among 
the  idlers  on  the  public  squares,  and  depicted  the  new- 
comers to  them  as  a  couple  of  mischief  makers  who  were 
conspiring  to  raise  a  sedition  in  the  state.  This  populace, 
easily  blown  about  by  gusts  of  strong  feeling,  lent  a  will- 
ing ear  to  the  Jewish  orators.  Under  their  leadership 
the  mob  stormed  Jason's  dwelling,  and  searched  the  house 
for  the  Apostle,  with  the  intent  of  handing  him  over  to 
the  tender  mercies  of  the  people.  It  so  happened  that 
Paul  and  Silas  were  away  from  home  :  in  their  default 
Jason  was  seized,  together  with  several  of  the  brethren 

toward  the  needs  of  his  many  poverty-stricken  followers  can  alone  explain 
why  Paul,  who  elsewhere  always  managed  to  get  along  on  the  profits  of 
his  day's  labor,  here  at  Thessalonica  was  forced  to  accept  aid  from  the 
Philippians. 

1  Philip,  iv.  15,  16. 

2  Acts  xvii.  7. 


SECOND  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY. -MACEDONIA.     133 

who  chanced  to  be  present,  and  they  were  forthwith 
dragged  before  the  Politarchs.^ 

The  whole  town  was  in  commotion  along  the  line  of 
their  passage,  and  nothing  was  to  be  heard  save  shouts 
like  these: — 

"  Here  are  some  of  the  fellows  who  have  been  turning 
the  whole  world ^  topsy-turvy.  Look  at  them  yonder! 
Jason  has  harbored  them  in  his  house  !  They  are  all 
rebels  to  Cœsar's  edicts,  for  they  say  that  there  is  another 
King  beside  the  Emperor,  —  one  Jesus  !  " 

These  were  terrible  accusations  at  a  time  when  a  word 
or  gesture  of  disrespect,  nay,  a  mere  forgetfulness  to 
show  proper  deference  to  the  ruling  prince,  might  be 
construed  as  a  capital  offence.^ 

It  is  true  the  laws  against  high  treason,  which  had 
grown  so  tyrannical  since  Tiberius' s  time,  did  not  pro- 
duce the  same  disastrous  effects  in  the  Provinces  as  at 
the  centre  of  the  Empire.  Thessalonica,  in  particular,  as 
a  free  city,  preserved  a  certain  measure  of  independence 
due  to  this  title,  and  made  its  own  laws,  appointing  the 
politarchs  in  charge  of  the  government  and  the  courts  ; 
but  it  was  well  known  that  the  town  enjoyed  these 
privileges  solely  at  the  good  pleasure  of  Eome  ;  if  the 
citizens  would   keep   their   rights  they  must  use  them 

1  The  title  of  Politarchs,  as  used  here  in  the  Acts  (eTri  tovs  iroXiTcipxas) , 
is  unknown  in  classical  literature  ;  but  it  has  been  discovered  in  the  inscrip- 
tions at  Thessalonica.  On  the  triumphal  arch  erected  in  memory  of  the 
victory  of  Philippi  (the  so-called  Vardar  Gate)  we  read  the  names  of  the 
Politarchs  who  governed  the  city  at  the  time  the  structure  was  raised. 
This  arch  has  but  recently  been  destroyed,  but  fragments  of  it  were  con- 
veyed to  the  British  Museum  in  1876.  The  reader  Avill  find  the  inscription 
in  Boeckh,  no.  1967,  while  in  M.  Vigouroux's  work,  Le  Nouveau  Testament 
et  les  Découvertes  Archéologiques  there  are  five  other  inscriptions  wherein 
mention  is  made  of  these  Politarchs. 

2  "  Pro  r)}v  olKovfi^vriv  legitur  in  Vulgate  urhem,  quam  vocem  contexta 
oratio  non  patitur:  hand  dubie  legendum  est  orbem."  Beelen,  Commenta- 
rius  in  Acta  Aposfolorum,  xvii.  6,  7. 

^  The  Law  of  the  Twelve  Tables  had  strictly  defined  the  crime  of 
"  treason  "  here  imputed  to  the  Apostles  :  "  Whosoever  incites  an  enemy  to 
act  against  the  Republic,  or  delivers  over  a  citizen  to  the  enemy,  is  to  be 
punished  by  death."  Digest,  xlviii.  3,  But  since  the  time  of  Cœsar,  the 
Julian  laws  had  been  made  to  extend  further  and  further  (Digest,  xlviii. 
4,  5;  Tacitus,  Annal.,  i.  74).  "The  crime  of  high  treason,"  says  Tacitus, 
"  was  then  the  necessary  complement  to  all  accusations."    Annal.,  iii.  3». 


134  SAINT  PAUL. 

wisely,  and  the  first  thing  to  be  maintained,  at  all  haz- 
ards, was  the  public  peace  and  order.  The  magistrates 
realized  this  more  keenly  than  ever  in  these  days,  when 
all  the  affairs  of  the  Empire  were  in  such  a  state  of  fer- 
ment. They  were  therefore  much  annoyed  at  the  sight 
of  the  town  in  such  a  turmoil,  and  a  clamorous  accusation 
besieging  their  tribunal.  The  presence  of  the  Governor 
of  Macedonia,  who  had  his  residence  in  Thessalonica, 
while  increasing  their  anxiety,  made  them  act  prudently. 
Not  knowing  what  to  think  of  this  quarrel  between  Jews 
and  Christians,  seeing,  moreover,  that  the  real  criminals 
were  not  before  them,  but  only  their  hosts,  who  had  been 
seized  and  hurried  thither  in  their  stead,  they  were  un- 
willing to  give  any  decision  at  the  moment.  To  appease 
the  mob,  they  forced  Jason  and  his  friends  to  give  bail 
for  future  good  conduct,  whereupon  they  released  them, 
deferring  their  sentence  to  some  day  not  fixed. 

This  delay  did  not,  however,  lessen  the  danger  which 
threatened  the  Apostle  ;  the  Church  urged  him  to  make 
good  his  escape.  Everything  goes  to  show  that  both 
Paul  and  Silas  refused  the  proposal,  fearing  lest  the 
vengeance  of  the  Jews  might  wreak  itself  on  the  person 
of  Jason,  who  had  gone  surety  for  his  guests.  But  the 
brethren  would  not  allow  them  to  risk  their  lives  on 
this  account.  "  On  the  night  following,"  says  the  Acts, 
"  they  conducted  them  outside  the  city  and  made  them 
take  the  road  to  Berœa."  ^ 

Paul's  fears  for  the  safety  of  his  dear  neophytes  were 
only  too  well  founded.  Some  months  later  he  wrote 
them,  '"'Brothers,  you  are  become  the  followers  of  the 
assemblies  of  God  which  have  embraced  the  faith  of 
Jesus  Christ  in  Judea,  for  you  also  have  suffered  at  the 
hands  of  your  fellow  countrymen  the  same  persecutions 
which  the  Churches  have  had  to  endure  from  the  Jews."  ^ 
There  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  these  deeds  of  violence 
ended  in  bloodshed,  as  at  Jerusalem  ;  ^  they  were  confined 
doubtless  to  acts  of  confiscation,  to  pillaging  the  property 

1  Acts  xvii.  10.  ^  Acts  viii,  3;  xii.  2;  xxvi.  10. 

2  1  Thess.  ii.  14." 


SECOND  MISSIONAR  Y  JO  URNE  Y.  —  MA  CEDONIA.     135 

of  Christians,^  and  branding  them  as  infamous  malefac- 
tors. But  the  spirit  of  hatred  and  revenge  was  none  the 
less  cruel  and  relentless.  Every  time  we  encounter  any 
mention  of  Thessalonica,  we  shall  hear  again  how  that 
Church  is  "in  much  affliction  and  tribulation." 2  Even 
after  six  years'  absence  the  return  of  Paul  again  aroused 
the  same  angry  outbreaks  as  on  his  first  visit.  "  When 
we  were  arrived  in  Macedonia,"  he  writes  to  the  Corin- 
thians,^ "  our  flesh  had  no  rest  there,  but  we  were  afflicted 
in  every  way  ;  combats  without,  fears  within."  The  only 
result  of  these  trials  was  the  fostering  of  a  mighty  zeal 
in  the  Church  of  Thessalonica;  like  that  at  Philippi, 
Paul  called  it  "  his  joy  and  his  crown  of  glory  "  ;  ^  and 
among  its  members  he  met  some  of  his  trustiest  fellow 
workers, —  Secundus,  one  of  his  companions  in  his  last 
voyage,  and  Aristarchus,  who  followed  him  to  Eome  and 
shared  his  chains.^ 

Berœa,^  whither  the  Apostle  was  fleeing,  offered  one  of 
the  safest  places  of  refuge  to  be  found  in  Macedonia.' 
Lying  remote  from  the  Via  Egnatia,  which  was  the  chan- 
nel for  all  the  bustle  and  excitement  of  the  Province, 
keeping  up  very  little  intercourse  with  Thessalonica,^  the 
town  led  an  independent  and  isolated  life,  but  a  pros- 
perous one  withal,  since  the  Jews,  who  flocked  to  none 
but  the  wealthy  centres,  were  sufficiently  numerous  there 
to  possess  a  synagogue.  It  owed  its  thriving  condition 
to  its  situation,  which  makes  it  even  to-day  one  of  the 

1  Heb.  X.  34. 

2  2  Thess.  i.  4. 

3  2  Cor.  vii.  5. 

4  1  Thess.  ii.  19;  Philip,  iv.  1. 

5  Acts  XX.  4;  xxvii.  2;  Col.  iv.  10;  Philem.  24, 

^  Berœa  owed  its  name  to  Pheres,  its  founder.  Pherœa,  in  the  rough 
speech  of  the  Macedonians,  soon  became  Berœa.  The  primitive  name 
has  been  revived  in  the  title  of  the  modern  city,  Kara-Pheria. 

■^  Piso,  Prefect  of  Macedonia,  Avhen  forced  to  flee  for  safety,  left  Thes- 
salonica by  night,  like  S.  Paul,  and  "  stole  secretly  into  the  retired  town 
of  Berœa."     Cicero,  In  Pison,  36. 

*  Instead  of  taking  the  Egnatian  Road  as  far  as  Pella,  and  thence 
proceeding  to  Berœa,  the  Apostle  probably  took  the  less  frequented  route, 
which  leads  directly  from  Thessalonica  to  Berœa.  The  distance  between 
the  two  towns,  as  it  appears  on  the  Itinerary  of  Antoninus,  is  fifty-one 
miles. 


136  SAINT  PAUL. 

most  attractive  towns  in  Eoumelia.  Built  along  the 
lower  slopes  of  Olympus,  it  looks  out  over  the  wide 
plains  watered  by  the  Vardar  and  Indje  Karasou  ;  its 
gardens  are  shaded  by  plane  trees,  and  mountain  brooks 
run  through  the  streets. 

The  Jews  of  Berœa  were  of  a  nobler  nature  than  those 
of  Thessalonica  ;  ^  they  opened  their  synagogue  to  Paul, 
and  listened  to  his  words  with  eagerness  and  all  good 
will;  every  day  they  conned  the  Scriptures,  verifying 
from  its  pages  the  texts  they  heard  the  Apostle  quote.^ 
Many  among  them  believed  in  Jesus  ;  but  it  was  among 
the  women  especially  that  the  most  plentiful  and  precious 
harvest  was  reaped  ;  ladies  of  the  highest  rank  embraced 
the  Faith,  and  with  them  were  converted  very  many 
Pagans.^  All  these  converts  belonged  to  the  Grecian 
race  ;  and  as  there  is  no  evidence  in  the  Acts  which  so 
much  as  hints  that  they  were  proselytes,  we  must  con- 
clude that  Paul  did  not  confine  his  mission  work  to  the 
little  synagogue  of  Berœa,  but  that  he  preached  among 
the  Pagans  as  well,  and  that  there  too  his  words  fell  on 
good  ground. 

Consoling  as  the  results  of  his  labors  must  have  been, 
the  Apostle  could  not  forget  Thessalonica  ;  twice  he 
made  up  his  mind  to  return,*  but  the  news  received  from 
that  city  described  the  synagogue  as  still  so  bent  upon 
glutting  its  rage  against  him,  that  Paul  was  forced  to 
renounce  his  plans.  It  was  not  long  indeed  before  he 
beheld  the  storm  lowering  over  his  secluded  retreat. 
On  learning  that  he  was  preaching  at  Berœa,  some 
Jews  from  Thessalonica  hastened  thither,  and  set  ab^ut 
concocting  schemes  to  have  him  banished  once  more. 
They  could  not  compass  their  designs  by  the  help  of 
their  fellow  countrymen  living  in  the  city,  for  these 
honest  people  continued  to  show  the  same  tolerant  and 
respectful  spirit  toward  the  Apostles  as  at  first,  rather 
inclined  to  favor  the  new  teachers  than  to  array  them- 
selves against  them.     The  emissaries  from  Thessalonica, 

1  Acts  xvii.  2.  3  Acts  xvii.  12. 

2  Ibid.  4  1  Thess.  ii.  18. 


SECOND  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY,  — MACEDONIA.     137 

despairing  of  engaging  the  resident  Jews  in  their  schemes 
for  vengeance,  bestowed  their  attention  upon  the  popu- 
lace, and  finally  succeeded  in  exciting  them  to  the  requi- 
site pitch  of  fury.i  This  time  Paul's  life  was  the  more 
in  danger  because  the  outbreak  was  directed  against  him 
alone  ;  consequently  the  brethren  made  all  haste  to  get 
him  away  before  it  was  too  late.  The  Apostle  departed, 
leaving  behind  him  Silas  and  Timothy,  who  were  to 
rejoin  him.  He  did  not  go  forth  alone,  however  ;  some 
faithful  disciples  from  Beroea  accompanied  him,  to  guide 
his  steps  and  uphold  him  in  this  season  of  sadness. 

The  little  band  set  out  for  the  sea-coast.  Paul  could 
hope  no  longer  for  either  peace  or  liberty  here  in  Mace- 
donia, for  every  Jewish  community  in  these  parts,  when 
stirred  up  to  it  by  the  Great  Synagogue  of  Thessalonica, 
would  be  a  constant  menace  to  his  ministry.  The  Berœan 
Jews,  it  is  true,  had  welcomed  him  courteously  ;  but  this 
was  an  exception,  and  it  had  not  helped  him  in  the  end  ; 
his  wily  foes  could  easily  devise  means  for  overreaching 
them.  Only  one  way  of  escaping  their  vengeance  was 
left  open  to  him,  and  that  was  to  take  ship  again.  Paul 
must  needs  resign  himself  to  seeking  the  nearest  sea- 
port, —  Dium,  from  all  appearances.^  A  vessel  was 
about  to  set  sail  for  Athens.  On  this  the  Apostle  took 
passage  with  the  brethren  from  Beroea  who  had  cast  in 
their  lot  with  him.  It  must  have  been  a  sad  blow  this, 
which  wrenched  him  from  his  beloved  ones  ;  but  in  his 
sorrow  at  parting  he  had  high  hopes  wherewith  to  cheer 
his  thoughts  when  meditating  on  the  future  of  Macedonia. 
Nowhere  else,  hitherto,  neither  in  Syria  nor  in  Asia  Mi- 
nor, had  he  met  with  hearts  so  hungry  for  the  Gospel, 
none  more  generous  in  giving,  none  firmer  in  their  new- 
found faith.  The  colonists  and  legionaries  of  Philippi, 
the  handicraftsmen  of  Thessalonica,  the  Jews  and  Greeks 
of  Berœa,  the  women  won  over  to  the  Cause  in  such 
numbers,  many  of  them  ladies  of  the  highest  rank,  and 

1  Acts  xvii.  13, 

2  It  was  the  nearest  seaport  to  Berœa,  and  was  connected  with  the  city 
by  a  road,  very  little  travelled.  According  to  the  Itinerary  of  Antoninus, 
the  distance  between  these  two  places  was  seventeen  miles. 


138  SAINT  PAUL. 

all  bound  together  by  the  ties  of  a  living  Faith,  —  surely 
these  were  sufficient  to  render  the  foundations  of  the 
Macedonian  Church  as  strong  as  they  were  wide  and 
deep  ;  "  the  rains  might  indeed  fall  upon  her,  the  floods 
overflow  and  beat  against  her,  the  winds  blow  and  buffet 
her;  yet  should  nothing  shake  her,  for  she  was  built 
upon  the  Eock."^ 

i  Matt.  vii.  24,  25. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SECOND   MISSION   JOURNEY.  —  ATHENS. 

The  route  taken  by  Paul  was  the  one  followed  by  all 
barks  plying  between  Salonica  and  Athens.  But  few  of 
these  craft  were  accustomed  to  steer  out  into  the  open 
sea  while  keeping  Eubœa  on  the  starboard  tack  ;  the 
majority  sail  through  the  sinuous  arms  of  the  sea  which 
separate  this  island  from  the  mainland.  The  length  of 
this  sea  journey  is  reckoned  as  about  three  or  four  days. 
As  his  vessel  glides  past  the  Thessalian  shores,  the  trav- 
eller can  descry  Olympus,  Ossa,  and  Pelion  ;  while  at 
the  entrance  to  the  Eubœan  Strait  is  Thermopylae,  at  its 
outlet  lie  the  fields  of  Marathon.  Sunium,  with  its  cor- 
onet of  white  columns,  warns  him  that  he  is  nearing  the 
sacred  soil  of  Attica  ;  once  this  cape  is  doubled,  the  pilot 
heads  away  to  the  north  again,  making  the  Bay  of  ^gina 
and  the  ports  of  Salamina  and  the  Pirseus.  These  spar- 
kling waters,  so  thickly  studded  with  sails  in  the  olden 
days  when  Athens  covered  the  sea  with  her  fleets,  had  in 
Paul's  time  lost  all  such  tokens  of  teeming  human  life. 
The  finest  harbors  along  the  coast  —  Megara,  ^gina, 
Phalaera,  Munychia,  even  the  Piraeus  as  well  —  were  but 
poverty-stricken  hamlets,  with  no  trade  worth  mention- 
ing.^ Corinth  alone  preserved  its  position  in  the  world. 
In  the  interior  of  the  country  the  same  desolation 
reigned;  the  most  fertile  districts  were  a  wilderness, 
Argos  and  Thebes  fallen  to  the  state  of  mere  villages, 
their  temples  crumbling  or  ruined  for  lack  of  money 
wherewith  to  repair  them.^     In  the  opinion  of  Polybius, 

1  Cicero,  Ad  Fam.,  iv.  5. 

2  Pausanias,  ii.  xviii.  3  ;  xxxviii.  2.     Strabo,  viii.  viii.  1  ;  ix.  ii.  5. 


140  SAINT  PAUL. 

the  whole  Peloponnesus  was  not  worth  six  thousand 
talents.^ 

This  devastation  was  the  doing  of  Roman  governors, 
who  had  worked  havoc  over  the  face  of  the  land,  and  left 
it  stripped  of  its  riches.  The  country  parts,  crushed  under 
the  weight  of  arbitrary  taxes,  had  bidden  farewell  to  their 
happy  rustic  population  ;  throughout  Acarnania,  MtoMo,, 
and  Arcadia  were  to  be  seen  nothing  but  great  stretches 
of  fallow  land,  with  here  and  there  a  single  cow  or  sheep 
amid  the  lush  herbage.  The  only  way  for  a  man  to  avoid 
certain  ruin  was  to  purchase  the  title  of  Roman  citizen, 
and  thus  escape  the  payment  of  tribute  money  which  was 
depopulating  his  country.  This  the  wealthier  class  lost 
no  time  in  doing,  and  thereby  aggravated  the  general 
wretchedness,  since,  for  every  payment  they  were  ex- 
empted from,  more  must  be  squeezed  from  the  purses  of 
the  poor.  In  this  desperate  state  of  affairs  the  lower 
classes  languished,  till  little  by  little  they  quite  vanished 
from  the  scene.  Like  the  farms,  the  cities  also  were  being 
gradually  deserted. 

Athens  still  survived  amid  the  ruins  ;  she  was  the  only 
town  beside  Corinth  which  deserved  the  name  of  a  city  ; 
yet  she  was  no  longer  the  Athens  of  Themistocles  and 
Pericles,  the  Queen  of  Hellas.  After  being  despoiled  of 
her  supremacy  in  the  Peloponnesian  war,  she,  with  the 
surrounding  country,  had  bowed  her  stately  neck  to  the 
Macedonian  yoke,  and  two  centuries  later  to  that  of 
Rome. 2  Since  then  all  efforts  to  regain  her  ancient  pres- 
tige had  only  resulted  in  a  series  of  blunders  and  sicken- 
ing failures.  When  her  citizens  made  common  cause 
with  Pompey,  they  were  forced  to  witness  the  triumph 
of  Csesar;  taking  up  arms  for  liberty  with  Cassius  and 
Brutus,  they  found  themselves  sharers  in  their  disastrous 
fate  ;  again  they  joined  forces  with  Antony  at  Actium, 

1  Duruy,  Histoire  des  Romains,  t.  iii.  p.  28. 

2  The  fall  of  Corinth,  b.  c.  146,  precipitated  the  enslavement  of  Greece. 
Even  then  Macedonia  was  a  Province  bearing  that  name  ;  Greece  properly 
so  called  only  retained  Hellas;  the  country  in  general  was  thereafter 
known  as  the  Roman  Province  of  Achaia,  its  boundaries  being  nearly  the 
same  as  those  of  modern  Greece. 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY.  —  ATHENS.         141 

and  their  cause  was  involved  in  his  swift  fall.^  Amid 
these  calamities  their  only  consolation  was  that  none 
of  them  had  as  yet  dealt  the  death-blow  to  their  hopes. 
Sylla  was  the  only  man  who  had  showed  them  no  mercy  ;  2 
the  other  vanquishers  spared  them,  out  of  respect  for  that 
ancient  name  and  the  marvels  of  time  whereof  their  soil 
was  the  sanctuary.  Under  the  Caesars  she  was  still  a 
free  city,^  yielding  obedience  to  the  Governor  of  Achaia, 
but  retaining  the  old  laws,  her  government  councils,  the 
Areopagus,  the  Six  Hundred,  and  her  people.  The  popu- 
lation continued  almost  as  large  as  ever,  an  intelligent 
people,  eagerly  engaged,  not  in  the  commercial  interests 
which  were  so  absorbing  to  the  Corinthians,  nor  in  poli- 
tics, as  in  the  good  old  days  of  independence,  but  in  the 
sciences  and  arts  whereby  they  supported  life.  ,  Students 
still  flocked  to  their  schools,  from  Eome  especially.  Few 
men  have  left  a  name  in  Latin  literature  who  did  not 
some  time  in  their  life  sojourn  here.  Atticus,  Cicero, 
Varro,  Ovid,  Horace,  Vergil,were  among  those  who  sought 
inspiration  from  her  shrines.  Even  great  statesmen  were 
caught  in  this  current  of  pilgrims  and  scholars,  and  could 
not  pass  Athens  by  without  paying  a  visit  to  her  monu- 
ments. Antony  made  it  his  favorite  residence;^  here 
Cassius  and  Brutus  spent  their  last  days  on  earth  ;  ^ 
Csesar,  Pompey,  Augustus  and  his  courtiers,  vied  with 
one  another  in  their  efforts  to  embellish  and  restore  the 
town.^  To  respect  the  City  of  the  Muses  was  regarded 
as  a  point  of  honor  among  Eonians  ;  to  behold  and  ad- 
mire it  was  the  ambition  of  every  cultured  man. 

This  throng  of  visitors  gave  Athens  the  aspect  of  those 
studious  towns  whose  only  life  is  that  of  their  schools. 
The  crowds  were  as  great  as  ever  in  Saint  Paul's  time, 
but  the  serious  character  of  the  studies  had  wellnigh 

1  Leake,  Topography  of  Athens,  p.  15, 

'^  Appianus,  Bell.  Mi'thrid.,  38  et  seq.;  Plutarch,  Sulla,  14;  Velleius 
Paterculus,  ii.  23. 

3  Strabo,  ix,  i.  20;  Cicero,  In  Pison.,  16;  D.  Chrysostom,  Or.,  xxxi. 

4  Appianus,  De  Bell.  Civ.,  5,  7  ;  Plutarch,  Antonius,  33,  34. 

5  Plutarch,  Brutus,  24. 

^  Leake,  Topography  of  Athens,  pp.  15,  16. 


142  SAINT  PAUL. 

disappeared.  Some  declamations  by  popular  speakers  and 
rhetoricians,  physical  exercises,  gymnastics,  horsemanship, 
athletic  combats,  and  racing  occupied  the  gilded  youth 
who  flocked  thither  with  the  idea  of  leading  a  free  life 
and  learning  the  science  of  pleasing.^  In  those  days  you 
would  have  searched  in  vain  for  masters  like  the  men 
whom  Cicero  and  Cœsar  listened  to  a  century  earlier,  — 
men  like  Cratippus  the  Peripatetic,  the  Academician  The- 
omnestus,  Philo  of  Larissa,  and  Antiochus  of  Ascalon. 
Neither  Plato,  Aristotle,  nor  the  higher  philosophy  as 
a  whole,  had  any  interpreters  or  disciples.  Never  had 
Athens  known  such  a  season  of  sterility  ;  fifty  years  later 
there  was  a  renascence  ;  but  the  middle  of  the  first  cen- 
tury marks  a  period  of  decadence  unique  in  the  city's 
history.2    . 

The  growing  fame  of  Latin  literature  was  its  principal 
cause.  Eome  was  becoming  in  turn  a  centre  of  intellect- 
ual life;  like  Greece,  she  too  had  her  poets,  historians, 
and  orators  ;  she  welcomed  and  did  honor  to  men  of 
genius.  They  flocked  to  her  from  every  land,  —  from 
Alexandria,  from  Pthodes,  from  Tarsus,  from  the  Gauls,  and 
from  Spain.  By  thus  drawing  to  herself  the  great  minds 
of  earth,  she  proved  that  in  the  realms  of  literature  and 
art  she  was  what  she  had  ever  been  in  the  government  of 
humankind,  supreme  Mistress  of  the  world.  She  was 
shaping  it  after  her  own  image,  breathing  into  it  her  own 
tastes,  her  thoughts,  even  her  philosophy.  Athens  could 
not  escape  this  sovereign  influence.  Stoics  and  Epicu- 
reans were  the  teachers  preferred  by  everybody  at  Rome  ; 
Luke  describes  them  to  us  as  enjoying  the  same  popu- 
larity at  Athens,  the  only  masters  to  be  met,  and  with 
a  famous  school.^ 

In  this  town,  differing  so  deeply  from  the  ancestral  city 
in  all  that  concerned  the  soul  and  the  character  of  its 
citizens,  outwardly  everything  remained  as  it  was  in  its 

1  Cicero,  ylc?  ^ff.,  xii.  32  ;  Ad  Fam.,yA\.\&;  xvi,  21.  J^W-cmn,  Nigrimis, 
13  et  seq.;  Mortuorum  Dialogi,  xx.  5;  Philostratus,  ApolL,  iv.  17. 

2  From  the  death  of  Nerva,  but  especially  under  Adrian,  who  made  it 
his  favorite  city,  and,  after  him,  under  the  Antonines, 

*  Acts  xvii.  18. 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY.— ATHENS.         143 

best  days.  Sylla's  devastations  and  the  pliinderings  of 
Eoman  Governors  had  affected  only  a  trifling  number  of 
statues,  pictures,  and  treasures  of  art  ;  for  the  most  part 
its  monuments  had  been  respected.  The  Acropolis,  in 
particular,  stood  intact  ;  ^  when  Paul  gazed  upon  it,  it  was 
girt  about  and  shining  with  the  same  splendor  as  in  the 
days  of  Pericles,  —  the  purest  thing  ever  conceived  by  the 
religious  genius  of  Greece,  and  the  most  perfect  work  of 
art  ever  embodied  upon  our  earth. 

This  steep  mass  of  rock,  once  the  cradle  and  refuge  of 
Athens,  preserved  no  traces  of  its  primitive  uses  except 
its  name  of  "  the  Upper  City,"  or  Acropolis  ;  all  dwelling- 
houses  had  disappeared  long  since,  and  the  Cyclopean 
ramparts  raised  for  its  defence  no  longer  enclosed  any- 
thing but  the  temples,  one  and  all  consecrated  to  Pallas 
Athene,  —  the  virgin  goddess  come  down  from  the  heav- 
ens, a  celestial  creature  sprung  from  Zeus,  the  sovereign 
God.  The  sanctuaries,  clustering  so  close  upon  the  nar- 
row heights  of  the  Acropolis,  were  all  hallowed  by  tales 
of  the  glorious  deeds  which  Athens  owed  to  her  potent 
patronage.  The  Temple  of  the  Wingless  Victory  recalled 
Salamis,  Marathon,  and  the  long  days  of  triumph  and 
supremacy  over  the  great  world  ;  a  graceful  edifice  called 
the  Erechtheum  enclosed  the  olive  tree  which  had  sprouted 
from  the  earth  at  the  voice  of  the  goddess,  —  of  all  the 
most  precious  of  her  gifts,  since  by  its  propagation  all 
over  Attica  and  Hellas  a  rocky  soil  had  been  made  to 
bloom  with  fertile  orchards.  But  it  was  only  when  the 
gaze  rested  on  the  noble  Parthenon  that  Athens  stood 
forth  revealed  in  her  true  grandeur.  This  temple,  as  its 
name  indicates,  was  the  sanctuary  of  the  virgin.  Here 
Pallas  Athene  held  her  court  in  the  full  light  of  day, 
towering  above  the  grovelling  passions  which  elsewhere 
deified  Aphrodite  and  Dionysos.  Here  she  stood  incar- 
nate to  the  eyes  of  her  worshippers,  her  spirit  embodied 
in  that  genius  whose  breath  had  brought  to  life  the  count- 
less marvels  of  Athens,  but  most  of  all  in  the  statue 
of  the  goddess  herself;   certainly  the  chisel  of  Phidias 

1  Beule,  L'Acropole  d'Athènes,  i.  320-337. 


144  SAINT  PAUL. 

wrought  but  one  other  work  of  equal  perfection,  the 
Olympian  Zeus,  and  in  the  latter  place  he  had  not  the 
benefit  of  the  setting  which  enclosed  the  ivories  of  Athene 
in  a  shrine  of  incomparable  splendor,  a  casket  befitting  the 
loveliness  of  martial  maidenhood,  the  far-famed  Parthe- 
non.i  Even  in  its  ruins  there  is  something  about  this 
temple,  with  its  graceful  and  harmonious  lines,  its  simple 
majesty,  the  delicacy  and  the  gleam  of  its  marbles,  which 
make  it  to  this  day  the  masterpiece  of  Architecture. 

Did  Paul  feel  the  charm  of  this  spectacle  of  an  unri- 
valled beauty  ?  was  he  deeply  impressed  with  its  exquisite 
perfection  ?  It  would  seem  hardly  probable  that  he  could 
have  been.  His  culture  was  drawn  from  an  education  on 
purely  Jewish  lines  ;  the  Oriental  taste  was  never  sensi- 
tive to  the  refinements  of  Grecian  art.  Bearing  in  mind 
the  lofty  thoughts  which  were  absorbing  the  Apostle's 
mind  to  the  exclusion  of  all  else,  everything  leads  us  to 
suppose  that  in  the  Parthenon  he  saw  simply  the  sacri- 
legious usurpation  of  man's  genius,  so  prone  to  adore  its 
own  handiwork  instead  of  the  God  Who  created  it.  Under 
the  brilliant  externals  of  this  heathendom  Paul  descried 
the  same  dark  void  which  he  had  found  everywhere  among 
Pagans,  the  same  powerlessness  to  rise  out  of  their  sinful 
state.  "  The  Greeks  seek  after  wisdom,"  he  has  said  ; 
"but  as  for  us,  we  preach  the  Christ  crucified,  .  .  .  which 
to  the  Greeks  is  sheer  folly;  but  unto  them  who  are  called, 
Greeks  as  well  as  Jews,  'tis  the  power  and  wisdom  of  God  ; 
because  the  foolishness  of  God  is  wiser  than  men."  ^    . 

This  scorn  of  a  philosophy  which  has  given  to  the 
world  its  noblest  thinkers  was  only  too  well  justified  by 
the  debasement  to  which  religious  feeling  had  descended 

1  Beside  Phidias's  Minerva,  which  stood  within  tlie  Parthenon,  a  colos- 
sal statue  of  the  goddess  rose  above  the  hill,  so  high,  says  Pausanias,  that 
as  soon  as  the  voyager  had  doubled  the  cape  the  point  of  her  lance  and 
the  crest  of  her  helmet  could  be  plainly  distinguished  from  the  deck  of  his 
vessel  (Pausanias,  i.  xxviii.  1).  Innumerable  statues  occupied  all  the  open 
space  on  the  heights  of  the  Acropolis,  and  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  a 
host  of  monuments  such  as  are  described  by  ancient  writers  could  have 
been  erected  within  such  narrow  limits.  The  sacred  hill  must  indeed,  to 
use  S.  Paul's  expression,  /cotciSwAoi',  have  been  "  filled  with  idols." 

2  1  Cor.  i.  22-25. 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY.  — ATHENS.         145 

here  in  Athens.  So  many  beautiful  speculations  and 
lovely  fancies,  and  all  to  result  in  the  gross  and  carnal 
idolatry  which  met  his  eyes  !  Differing  in  this  from  the 
East,  and  from  Egypt  especially,  where  to  increase  men's 
respect  for  divinity  they  shrouded  their  deities  in  mys- 
tery, and  worshipped  them  only  under  symbols  wrapped 
in  religious  gloom,  Greece,  on  the  other  hand,  fashioned 
its  gods  after  its  own  image  ;  they  were  called  Immortals, 
it  is  true,  but  they  were  conceived  of  as  being  subject  to 
the  same  misfortunes,  the  same  passions,  which  man  is 
prey  to,  —  some  of  them  indeed  were  the  personifications 
of  vice.  It  is  true  again  that  others  embodied  certain 
virtues,  in  like  manner,  by  erecting  altars  to  Mercy  and 
Modesty;^  but  unhappily  this  worship  was  but  a  surface 
performance,  and  only  for  state  occasions,  wielding  no 
influence  over  the  conduct  of  life.  Only  a  handful  of 
wise  men  had  caught  faint  glimpses  of  the  one  God,  and 
revealed  Him  to  their  disciples  as  infinite,  unchangeable, 
sovereignly  perfect  ;  but  so  far  as  the  multitude  was  con- 
cerned, it  ran  after  its  idols  unchecked,  and  erected  them 
in  greater  numbers  at  Athens  than  was  anywhere  else 
the  case.2 

Paul,  in  whom  the  name  of  Athens  had  excited  great 
expectations,  could  not  help  feeling  a  sense  of  disappoint- 
ment on  beholding  this  multitude  of  statues,  temples,  and 
altars,  all  dedicated  to  idolatry  ;  ^  his  heart  grew  hot  with 
indignation  as  often  as  he  traversed  the  city  streets,  and 
this  bitter  sorrow  choked  him  because  he  was  unable  to  give 
it  tongue.  For  the  first  time,  in  fact,  since  the  beginning 
of  his  Apostolate,  he  found  himself  without  a  companion, 
in  a  loneliness  which  his  delicate  health,  with  his  craving 
for  confidence  and  affection,  made  doubly  painful.  From 
the  day  of  his  arrival,  feeling  so  much  like  a  stranger  lost 
in  this  new  world,  he  had  suggested  to  the  disciples  from 
Berœa,  during  their  leave-takings,  that  they  send  Timothy 
and  Silas  to  him  as  soon  as  possible.^     The  former  came 

1  Pausanias,  i.  17.  2  Pausanias,  xxiv.  3. 

3  Livy,  xlv.  27  ;  Dionysius  of  Halicarnassus,  De  Thucydide,  40  ;  Elia- 
nus,  Variœ  Historiée,  v.  1 7  ;  Philostratus,  Vita  ApoL,  iv.  xix.  ;  vi.  iii. 
*  Acts  xvii.  1.5. 

10 


146  SAINT  PAUL. 

alone,^  as  Silas  felt  it  impossible  for  him  to  leave  the  new 
converts  to  themselves  under  such  trying  circumstances. 
Timothy  was  indeed  the  bearer  of  sad  news  ;  the  storm 
the  Jews  had  raised  against  the  Church  of  Thessalonica 
still  raged  as  violently  as  at  first.  For  Paul,  who  was 
now  denounced  by  name,  with  spies  in  every  Jewish  circle 
in  Macedonia  on  the  lookout  for  him,  to  throw  himself 
into  their  hands  in  this  fashion,  would  have  been  sheer 
madness,  and  nevertheless  he  could  not  endure  the 
thought  of  these  Churches  being  left  to  themselves  in 
their  troubles,  with  no  leader  and  no  help.  "  Forbearing 
no  longer,"  he  preferred  to  continue  his  lonely  life,  ter- 
rible as  solitude  always  was  to  him,  and  at  once  sent 
back  Timothy  "  to  sustain  and  encourage  "  ^  the  Thessa- 
lonians. 

Hitherto  the  Apostle  had  done  little  more  than  wander 
about  the  city  in  silence,  as  if  overwhelmed  with  the 
weight  of  his  task;  the  hour  was  come  for  preaching 
the  foolishness  of  the  Cross  to  the  people  of  all  the  world 
most  infatuated  with  its  own  wisdom.  He  betook  him- 
self first  of  all  to  the  synagogue,  and  there  spoke  to  the 
Jews  as  well  as  to  the  proselytes,  but  apparently  without 
much  success,  for  he  turned  immediately  to  seek  out  the 
real  Athenians,  the  Pagans  of  the  town,  and  transferred 
the  field  of  his  mission  work  to  the  streets  and  public 
squares  of  the  city. 

Athens  had  several  centres  for  social  gatherings  ;  how- 
ever, the  favorite  meeting-place  for  idlers  and  men  of 
leisure  was  located  a  little  to  the  west  of  the  Acropolis. 

1  S,  Paul's  First  Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians  (iii.  1-5)  seems  to  leave 
no  doubt  as  to  the  fact  that  Timothy  came  to  Athens  and  was  at  once  sent 
back  to  Thessalonica  by  S.  Paul,  Wieseler's  hypothesis  (  Chronologie  des 
apostolischen  Zeitalters,  248)  that  the  order  given  the  disciples  at  Berœa 
was  countermanded,  and  that  consequently  Timothy  started  on  his 
journey  but  did  not  get  as  far  as  Athens,  is  in  opposition  to  the  precise 
statement  of  S.  Paul  (EùSoKr/o-Oytte;/  KaraXcicpOrjuai  eV  'Ad-nvais  ixovoi  ... 
€iréibL\paiuev  Tifiéd^ov  .  .  .  ^Trefxrpa  .  .  .).  Since  the  Apostle  declares  that, 
after  bidding  Timothy  return,  he  was  once  more  left  alone  (1  Thess.  iii.  1), 
we  must  conclude  that  Silas  did  not  come  to  Athens,  and  did  not  rejoin 
S.  Paul  until  later,  at  Corinth,  at  the  same  time  with  Timothy. 

2  1  Thess.  iii.  2. 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY.  — ATHENS.         147 

The  name  Agora,  or  ''  Public  Place,"  had  been  given  to 
this  spot  at  an  earlier  date,  when,  being  a  spacious  and 
goodly  stretch  of  land  lying  at  the  foot  of  the  "  Upper 
Town,"  it  was  used  as  the  market  square  of  primitive 
Athens  ;  but  by  degrees  it  had  been  covered  with  build- 
ings, and  now  formed  a  distinct  quarter  by  itself,  the 
liveliest  in  the  city  and  the  richest  in  works  of  art.  All 
the  gods  and  goddesses  of  Olympus  had  each  a  sanctuary 
hereabouts  ;  ^  illustrious  Greeks,  and  even  foreigners  of 
renown,  were  commemorated  by  statues  ;  in  the  company 
of  Harmodius  and  Aristogiton,  Lycurgus,  Demosthenes, 
and  Pindar,^  Paul  encountered  the  image  of  a  Jew  in  his 
pontifical  robes  ;  this  was  Hyrcanus,  the  friend  of  Ath- 
ens ;  ^  farther  on,  his  eyes  fell  upon  the  statue  of  a 
Jewish  princess,  the  beautiful  Berenice,*  before  whom, 
a  few  years  later,  we  shall  see  him  standing  loaded  with 
chains.^  These  monuments,  crowded  between  shops,  edi- 
fices, and  crooked  streets,  lent  the  Agora  an  appearance 
much  like  that  of  an  Eastern  bazaar.  This  irregular 
mass  of  buildings  gradually  filled  up  the  valley  which  is 
shut  in  to  the  southwest  of  the  town  by  the  heights  of 
the  Acropolis,  the  Areopagus,  the  Pnyx,  and  the  Mu- 
seum ;  consequently  the  public  market  was  driven,  for 
lack  of  space,  to  descend  into  the  open  plain  to  the  north 
of  the  Acropolis.  Here  a  new  Agora  was  fast  growing 
up,  and  in  the  times  of  Saint  Paul  quite  as  much 
frequented  as  the  old  one,  adorned  as  well  with  many 
monuments.^  The  portico  of  Athene  Archegetes  had 
been  erected  lately,  at  the  expense  of  Coesar  and  Augus- 
tus ;  not  long  after  the  ravages  which  the  city  suffered 

1  Pausanias,  i.  3-17.  Statues,  monuments,  and  public  buildings  fairly 
jostled  each  other  in  the  Agora  ;  sanctuaries  were  most  numerous  ;  there 
were  the  Temple  of  Apollo' (the  Patroum),  that  of  the  Mother  of  the  Gods 
(the  Metroiim),  the  Tholus,  —  where  the  Prytanes  held  their  banquets  and 
offered  sacrifices,  —  the  meeting-place  of  the  six  hundred,  the  famous 
Altar  of  the  Twelve  Gods,  the  Temples  of  Mars,  Vulcan,  Aphrodite,  etc. 

2  Smith's  Geogr.  Diet.,  vol.  i.  p.  296. 
2  Josephus,  Ant.  Jud.,  xiv.  viii.  15. 

*  Corp.  Inscrip.  Grœc,  no.  361. 

s  Acts  XXV.  3;  xxvi.  29. 

^  Leake,  Topography  of  Athens,  pp.  154-162. 


148  SAINT  PAUL. 

under  Sylla,  Andronicus  Cyrrhestes  had  set  up  his  dial 
on  the  Tower  of  the  Winds,  on  the  very  spot  where 
Socrates  was  said  to  have  taught  the  Athenian  youth.^ 
At  first  glance,  these  two  Agoras  seemed  to  form  one 
succession  of  market  stalls,  stocked  with  all  sorts  of  arti- 
cles of  sale,  —  flower  booths,  fruit  stands,  fishmongers' 
baskets,  slave  marts,  book-shops,  and  clothing  ware- 
houses ;  but  in  reality  this  was  the  centre  of  all  the  life  of 
Athens,  —  its-  political,  literary,  and  social  interests.  Both 
the  citizens  and  foreigners  staying  in  town  spent  most  of 
their  time  hereabouts,  with  no  object  in  life  other  than 
hearing  or  reporting  the  world's  gossip.  To  find  a  good 
seat  in  the  Agora,  and  there  chat  and  watch  the  passers 
by,  asking  them,  "  What  is  the  latest  news  ?  "  —  this, 
from  the  time  of  Demosthenes  and  Thucydides,  had  been 
the  Athenian's  chief  business  in  life.^  Paul,  whose  for- 
eign air  and  accent  made  him  a  noticeable  personage, 
could  not  cross  the  public  square  without  being  stopped 
and  questioned.  Thither  he  came,  day  after  day,  telling 
the  Gospel  Story  to  all  who  would  listen,  but  without 
any  effect  upon  this  throng  of  men,  even  more  remarka- 
ble for  their  levity  than  for  their  curiosity.  So  many 
"  dreamers  of  dreams  "  had  passed  along  those  streets  in 
their  time,  that  in  "  the  language  of  the  Cross  "  they  saw 
only  one  more  human  folly  with  which  to  while  away 
an  idle  hour.  Nevertheless,  there  were  some  persons 
among  them  with  whom  the  grave  and  burning  convic- 
tion of  the  Apostle  had  its  weight.  These  were  the  Stoic 
and  Epicurean  philosophers  ;  indeed,  the  latter  made  the 
Agora  their  principal  place  of  meeting,  gathering  daily 
in  a  portico  lined  with  frescos,  called  the  Stoa  Pcecile, 
whence  came  the  name  given  them  by  the  people,^  —  on 
this  spot,  or  in  some  other  nook  in  the  market-place,  they 
gathered  about  Paul  and  listened  to  him. 

1  Lewin,  The  Life  and  Epistles  of  S.  Paul,  vol,  i.  p.  252. 

2  Demosthenes,  1  Philipp.,  10;  Thucydides,  iii.  38,  and  the  Scholiast  on 
this  passage.  Cf.  the  Scholiast  of  Aristophanes,  Equit.,  975  ;  here  we  read 
that  Athens  had  360  societies  for  social  gatherings  and  conversation. 

3  Pausanias,  i.  15.  ^Eschines  states  distinctly  that  this  Porch  stood  in 
the  Agora.     Contr.  Ctesiph.,  186. 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY.  — ATHENS.         149 

The  Apostle  preached  to  them  of  Jesus,  albeit,  noting 
the  haughty  spirit  of  these  thinkers,  he  told  them  less 
than  usual  of  the  humiliations  of  the  Saviour,  but  dwelt 
especially  on  His  Eesurrection.  This  one  word,  Eesur- 
rection,  —  Anastasis,  — on  which  he  laid  so  much  stress, 
as  if  to  envelop  it  in  an  aureole  of  glory,  was  seized 
upon  and  mistaken  for  the  name  of  a  goddess  whom  Paul 
desired  them  to  worship  in  company  with  Jesus  ;  ^  in 
this  they  supposed  he  was  merely  advocating  the  cultus 
of  another  godlike  pair,  such  as  the  Orientals  were  forever 
fabricating  from  their  day-dreams. 

"  What  is  this  babbler  aiming  at  ?  "  some  of  them 
exclaimed. 

"  He  seems  to  be  speaking  of  some  foreign  divinities," 
others  answered. 

Howbeit,  despite  his  half-barbarous  manner  of  speak- 
ing, and  beneath  the  crude  form  of  words,  one  forceful 
and  original  thought  stood  out  so  strikingly  as  to  fix  the 
attention  of  the  serious-minded.  Paul's  hearers  pressed 
him  to  go  up  to  the  Areopagus  and  there  explain  himself 
more  at  length. 

"  Might  we  ask  to  know  something  more  of  this  new 
doctrine  whereof  you  speak  ?  "  was  the  courteous  request. 
"  You  have  let  us  hear  some  strange  things  ;  we  should 
like  to  know  what  they  all  mean." 

The  Apostle  yielded  a  ready  assent  to  their  invitation, 
happy  at  the  opportunity  of  preaching  Jesus  away  from 
the  bustle  and  clamor  of  the  Agora,  and  before  the 
foremost  assembly  in  Athens.  The  Areopagus  had  not 
indeed  lost  anything  of  its  ancient  prestige  ;  on  the  con- 
trary, its  authority  and  prerogatives  had  been  actually 
increased  under  Eoman  rule.^  As  the  superior  of  all 
other  municipal  bodies  in  the  city,  it  formed  a  sort  of 
Senate  or  Supreme  Court,  exercising  the  right  of  final 

^  T))v  'Avdcrraa-iv  deov  riva  ^Ivai  évSfxi^op,  ore  eîuOores  koI  6r}\eias 
fféfieiv.     S.  John  Chrysostom,  In  Acta  Apost.,  Horn,  xxxviii.  18. 

2  Corp.  Inscrip.  Gnec,  nos.  313,  315,  316,  318,  320,  361,  370,  372,  377- 
381,  400,  402,  406,  415-417,  420-422,  426,  427,  433,  438,  444-446,480, 
3831  ;  Cicero,  De  Nat.  Deor.,  ii.  29;  see  Daremberg,  Dictionnaire  des  An- 
tiquités, Areopagus. 


150  SAINT  PAUL. 

censorship  over  laws  and  law-makers,  over  social  customs 
and  education,  and  over  the  édiles  or  aldermen.^  Ee- 
ligious  affairs,  the  maintenance  of  temples,  and  the  over- 
sight of  established  worships  were  in  a  particular  manner 
under  its  jurisdiction.^  Bearing  this  in  mind,  we  see 
that  the  step  they  were  urging  Paul  to  take  might  be  one 
of  very  vital  importance,  for  all  Athens  revered  this 
Council,  wherein  the  very  pick  of  their  citizens  —  politi- 
cians, orators,  and  philosophers  —  sat  in  judgment  on 
things  human  and  divine.^ 

The  Apostle  ascended  the  flight  of  stone  steps  which 
leads  from  the  Agora  up  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  which  was 
also  called  the  Areopagus.  The  tribunal  held  its  sittings 
on  the  spot  where,  according  to  the  legend,  the  gods  had 
once  assembled  to  judge  Mars.*  Since  then  justice  had 
always  been  administered  in  this  sacred  place.  Only 
murders  were  tried  here  originally  ;  ^  it  was  Solon  who 
had  extended  the  authority  of  the  Areopagites  to  all 
crimes,  and  all  legislative  acts,  thereby  placing  them  in 
the  highest  rank.^  This  eminence,  as  we  have  seen,  they 
had  managed  to  maintain  through  all  the  revolutions  of 
State.  In  the  Augustan  Age,  as  in  primitive  times,  they 
sat  in  the  open  air  along  steps  cut  in  tiers  from  the  solid 
rock.^  Two  stones  were  placed  in  front  of  the  judges, 
one  consecrated  to  "  Implacableness,"  the  other  to  "  In- 
jury." The  plaintiff  stood  upon  the  first,  the  defendant 
on  the  other  ;  ^  they  spoke  in  the  darkness,  for  the  Areop- 

^  Lucian,  Bis  Accusatus,  12  ;  Tacitus,  A7in.,  ii.  55  ;  Aulius  Gellius,  xii.  7  ; 
Plutarch,  Cicero,  24  ;  Himerius,  in  the  Bibliothèque  de  Photius,  Bekker's 
éd.,  p.  365;  Quintilian,  Inst.  Orat.,  v.  9,  13;  Cicero,  Ad.  Fam.,  xiii.  i.  5; 
Ad.  Att.,  V.  xi.  6. 

2  Isocrates,  Areopag.^  29, 30  ;  Suidas  under  this  word  ;  Lysias,  Pro  Sacra 
Oka,  25,  29. 

2  Demosthenes,  Contr.  Aristocr.,  65;  Plutarch,  Solon,  19;  ^schylus, 
Eum.,  V.  700  et  seg.;  Schomann,  Griech.  Alterth.,  i.  511  (2er  Aufl.). 

4  Pausanias,  i.  xxviii.  5.  It  was  to  this  legendary  event  that  both  the 
hill  and  the  court  owed  their  name  Areopagus  :  ô  "Apeios  Udyos,  Mars' 
Hill. 

^  Pansanias,  iv.  v.  2. 

6  Demosthenes,  Contr.  Aristocr.,  22  ;  Contra  Neœr.,  80,  81  ;  Pollux, 
viii.  117  ;  Didot,  Fragm.  Hist.  Gr.,  i.  387  ;  Plutarch,  Solon,  19;  Isocrates, 
Areop.,  37,  39,  55. 

■^  Pollux,  viii.  118.  ^  Pausanias,  i.  xxviii.  5. 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY.  —  ATHENS.         151 

agus  held  its  audiences  at  night,  in  order  to  be  aware, 
says  Lucian,  not  of  the  orator,  but  of  what  he  said.^  In 
their  sanctuary  on  the  slope  of  the  hill,  the  Furies  were 
ever  awake  and  watching,  ready  to  fall  upon  the  guilty 
man  and  track  him  down  without  mercy. 

In  all  probability  Paul  did  not  have  to  face  this  body 
in  its  judicial  array  ;  he  appeared  before  the  council  of 
his  own  free  will,  in  broad  daylight,  not  to  be  tried,  but 
to  set  forth  his  Faith  and  endeavor  to  gain  over  these 
magistrates  whose  suffrages  would  go  so  far  to  influence 
the  people.  Though  less  striking  than  a  night  sitting, 
the  spectacle  which  met  his  eyes  could  not  fail  of  im- 
pressing an  onlooker:  around  him  were  the  flower  and 
fruit  of  Athenian  and  Grecian  civilization  ;  at  his  feet 
was  the  great  city,  glittering  with  monuments,  colon- 
nades, and  temples  ;  more  majestic  than  all  the  rest  was 
the  Parthenon,  rising  up  before  his  face  like  the  veritable 
throne  of  human  wisdom,  all  in  a  blaze  of  beauty  which 
dazzled  men's  eyes.  Nowhere  had  Heathendom  revealed 
itself  to  him  under  more  seductive  forms.  But  the  Apos- 
tle had  no  eyes  for  the  scene  :  all  his  hopes  were  fixed  on 
winning  souls,  his  thoughts  were  all  concentrated  on 
Jesus  crucified.  With  this  singleness  of  purpose,  he  had 
taken  note,  as  he  threaded  the  city  streets,  of  one  detail 
which  he  thought  he  could  turn  to  his  purpose.  Like 
Kome,  Athens,  in  the  fear  of  neglecting  some  deity, 
erected  altars  here  and  there  bearing  no  name,  but  with 
these  simple  words  :  — 

ArNIîETOIS^EOIS 

To  the  Unknoivn  Gods.^ 

Paul  took  this  superstition  for  the  text  of  his  speech, 
as  a  means  of  winning  the  attention  of  his  audience. 

1  Lucian,  Hermot.,  64;  De  Domo,  18.  I  quote  this  statement  on  the 
unsupported  testimony  of  Lucian,  and  not  without  some  hesitation  ;  its 
authenticity  would  seem  rather  questionable.  See  Daremberg's  Diction- 
naire des  Antiquités,  Areopagus. 

2  One  of  these  altars  was  to  be  seen  at  Phalerum  (Pausanias,  i.  i.  4). 
If  the  Apostle  landed  at  that  port,  it  would  have  been  one  of  the  first 


152  SAINT  PAUL. 

"Athenians,"  he  began,  "I  perceive  that  in  all  things 
you  are  religious  beyond  measure.^  Indeed  as  I  was 
passing  through  your  streets,  and  observing  the  objects 
of  your  worship,  I  found  an  altar  on  which  is  written, 
TO  THE  UNKNOWN  GOD.  Whom  you  honor  with- 
out knowing  Him,  He  it  is  Whom  I  declare  unto  you. 

"The  God  Who  hath  made  the  world  and  all  that  it 
contains,  being  the  Lord  of  Heaven  and  Earth,  dwells 
not  in  temples  made  by  the  hands  of  men,  neither  is  He 
honored  by  the  handiwork  of  men,  as  though  He  had 
need  of  anything,  —  He  Who  gives  unto  all  life  an(f 
breath  and  all  things.  He  made  all  the  nations  of  one 
blood  ;  He  has  made  them  to  dwell  upon  the  face  of  the 
earth,  determining  for  each  one  of  them  the  length  and 
bounds  of  their  domains,  in  order  that  they  should  seek 
God,  —  that  groping  for  him  they  should  try  to  touch 
and  to  find  Him,  though  He  be  not  far  from  each  one 
of  us.  For  it  is  in  Him  we  live,  and  move,  and  have 
our  being.  As  certain  of  your  own  poets  have  said, 
'His  offspring  we.'^  Seeing,  then,  that  we  are  the  off- 
spring of  God,  we  ought  not  to  believe  that  the  God- 
head is  like  unto  gold,  or  silver,  or  stone,  or  any  work 
graven  by  the  art  and  genius  of  man.  Forgetting  there- 
fore those  times  of  ignorance,  God  now  commands  all 
men,  in  all  places,  to  repent,  because  He  has  set  a  day 
wherein  He  will  judge  the  world  in  justice  by  the  Man 
Whom  He  has  destined  unto  this.  Whom  also  he  has 
given  warrant  before  all,  in  that  He  has  raised  Him 
from  the  dead." 

objects  to  meet  his  eyes.  Frequent  mention  is  made  in  literature  of  these 
unknown  gods:  Philostratus,  Vit.  ApoU.,\\.  iii.  5  ;  Lucian,  Philopatris,  9, 
29  ;  Diogenes  of  Laertium,  i.  x.  1 10  ;  Hesychius,  'A7i'wTçy  @€ol,  etc.  "  The 
inscription  on  the  altar  did  not  read,  as  Paul  puts  it,  To  the  Unknoivn  God, 
but  thus:  To  the  Gods  of  Asia  and  Europe,  To  the  Unknown  and  Strange 
Gods.  But  as  Paul  meant  not  to  speak  of  the  many  unknown  Gods,  but 
of  the  one  only  God  unknown  to  them,  he  made  use  of  the  singular  form." 
S.  Jerome,  In  Tit.,  i.  12. 

1  Isocrates,  Paneg.,  33  ;  Thucydides,  ii.  38  ;  Pausanias,  i,  xvii.  1  ;  i. 
xxiv.  3  ;  X.  xxviii.  6. 

'■^  This  verse  is  to  be  found  in  the  works  of  a  Cilician  poet,  a  fellow 
countryman  of  the  Apostle,  named  Aratus  {Phenom.,  5),  and  in  Cleanthes 
as  well  [Hymn  to  Jupiter,  5). 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY.  — ATHENS.         153 

At  this  point  the  Apostle  was  interrupted  by  laughter 
and  bantering  remarks.  They  had  listened  to  him  thus 
far,  oddly  as  the  speech  must  have  sounded  in  their  ears, 
smacking  of  the  barbarian  with  his  rough  accent,  and 
halting,  stumbling  periods  ;  still  the  novelty  of  the  ideas, 
with  here  and  there  some  happy  phrases,  caught  their 
attention  ;  but  when  to  sins  against  correct  language  he 
added  what  these  cultured  critics  considered  actual  absur- 
dities, such  as  the  Eesurrection  and  a  future  Judgment, 
their  patience  was  exhausted  ;  they  now  looked  upon  the 
Apostle  as  a  preposterous  dreamer,  and  assailed  him  with 
ridicule.  Paul  vainly  endeavored  to  proceed  ;  his  hearers 
were  dispersing  merrily,  a  few  only  of  the  more  kindly 
disposed  told  him,  *' We  will  hear  you  some  other  time  on 
this  subject."    And  this  was  all  they  said  before  departing. 

Such  a  reception  from  this  assembly  of  chosen  spirits 
may  well  fill  us  with  wonder,  so  little  like  is  it  to  all  we 
remember  of  the  sages  of  yore,  wandering  over  Greece  in 
the  quest  of  truths,  or  of  Socrates  lending  an  eager  ear  to 
every  revelation,  no  matter  whence  it  came.  The  solu- 
tion all  lies  in  this  one  fact,  that  the  Athens  which  Paul 
preached  to  was  no  longer  the  city  of  Solon  and  Pericles  ; 
Pythagoras  and  Plato  had  but  a  handful  of  disciples  whose 
dreams  were  of  the  transmigration  of  souls,  expiation  of 
sins  in  Hades,  and  a  new  birth  in  the  upper  world.  Gre- 
cian philosophy  had  folded  her  wings  ;  forgetting  the 
splendrous  heights  whither  she  had  soared  in  the  past,  she 
was  content  to  gaze  curiously  at  this  earth  of  ours  and 
at  man's  daily  life.  The  Stoics  and  Epicureans,  whom 
the  record  speaks  of  as  surrounding  the  Apostle,  were 
alike  deaf  and  blind  to  the  supernatural  world. 

According  to  the  Stoics,  indeed,  matter  alone  has  any 
existence  ;  they  recognized  no  other  God  save  that  mys- 
terious force  which  gives  to  every  sensible  object  its  form, 
its  unity,  and  the  power  to  act.  In  man  this  force  is 
called  the  soul,  and  is  as  material  as  the  body  which  it 
animates,  and  from  which  it  cannot  be  distinguished  essen- 
tially, which  nevertheless  it  dominates  and  penetrates  by 
its  breath  divine.     An  egoistic  and  haughty  system  of 


154  SAINT  PAUL. 

morality  was  the  inevitable  outcome  of  this  pantheistic 
teaching.  The  Stoics  boasted  that  their  only  end  in  life 
was  to  do  their  duty  ;  but  seeing  that,  according  to  their 
own  theories,  each  man  was  a  god  unto  himself,  to  fulfil 
his  duty  he  had  only  to  be  true  to  his  own  instincts, 
and  follow  the  dictates  of  his  nature.  As  a  being  sover- 
eignly free  and  independent,  he  was  sufficient  unto  him- 
self, and  owed  no  deference  to  another  ;  for  him  the 
only  task  worth  while  —  the  true  art  of  living  —  was  all 
summed  up  in  the  precept  which  commanded  an  absolute 
impassibility  and  the  avoidance  of  everything  which  might 
disturb  this  state  of  repose.^  What  a  contrast  between 
such  a  haughty  science  of  life  and  Paul's  Gospel,  whose 
only  theme  was  humility,  revealing  to  man's  conscience 
his  weakness  and  his  sinfulness,  telling  him  to  be  com- 
passionate toward  all  suffering,  bidding  him  do  good  and 
look  for  naught  in  return  ! 

The  disciples  of  Epicurus  were  no  more  capable  than 
were  the  Stoics  of  rising  to  this  lofty  plane  of  thought. 
They  too  disfigured  the  old  ideals  of  the  Godhead,  which 
they  imagined  as  relegated  to  the  far-off  realms  of  space, 
wellnigh  unknown  to  man,  powerless  to  act  upon  the 
world,  something  which  mere  chance  had  produced.  They 
too  deemed  the  soul  a  material  substance,  of  the  same 
nature  as  the  body,  and  dying  with  it.  In  fact,  their 
moral  system  differed  more  in  appearance  than  in  reality 
from  that  of  Zeno.  They  admitted  no  other  end  in  life 
save  the  pursuit  of  pleasure,  only  premising  that  this  pur- 
suit be  prudently  safeguarded,  using  all  things  without 
abusing  any  good  thing  ;  all  excesses  would  indeed  en- 
gender suffering,  shatter  the  equilibrium  of  the  faculties, 
and  consequently  trouble  that  calm  state  of  the  soul 
which  is  the  surest  source  of  pleasure.^  Thus,  as  we  see, 
although  starting  from  quite  opposite  principles,  —  the 
cultus  of  duty  and  that  of  pleasure,  —  practically  both 

1  Dollinger,  Paganisme  et  Judaïsme,  v.  ii.,  Stoïcisme  ;  Pauly,  Real 
Encyklopddie,  Stoici. 

2  Denis,  Histoire  des  Théories  et  des  Idées  Morales  dans  l* Antiquité', 
t.  {.,  Epicure  et  Zenon,  p.  255  et  seq.  ;  Dollinger,  Paganisme  et  Ju- 
daïsme,\.  ii.,  Epicurisme. 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY.  —  ATHENS.         155 

Stoics  and  Epicureans  arrived  at  the  same  conclusion,  to 
wit,  that  everything  else  is  to  be  sacrificed  rather  than 
sacrifice  one's  own  ease.  On  either  side  we  find  the  same 
passion  for  considering  everything  in  relation  to  one's  self  ; 
the  selfishness  of  pride  on  the  side  of  the  Stoics,  the  self- 
ishness of  pleasure-seekers  on  the  side  of  the  Epicureans. 

Christianity,  whose  God  is  Charity,  whose  first  law  is 
love  for  the  neighbor,  could  have  little  to  say  which 
these  sages  would  listen  to.  At  last  Paul  comprehended 
this  and  left. the  assembly.  Nevertheless,  his  words  had 
not  fallen  on  altogether  sterile  soil.  "  Some  few,"  adds 
the  Acts,  "  adhered  to  him  and  embraced  the  Eaith, 
among  whom  was  Dionysius,  surnamed  the  Areopagite,^ 
and  a  woman  named  Damaris,  and  others  with  them." 
Thus,  then,  a  small  community  was  formed,  select  rather 
than  numerous,  since  Athens,  on  listening  to  the  Glad 
Tidings,  had  not  felt  that  thrill  of  joy  which  had  stirred 
the  cities  of  Macedonia  and  brought  about  so  many 
conversions. 

This  indifference  is  to  be  explained  in  part  by  the 
exceptional  character  of  the  city.  It  had  remained,  even 
in  its  decline,  the  foremost  centre  of  student  life,  and  its 
citizens  were  hence  constantly  entertaining  scholars  and 
philosophers  of  renown,  and  thus  from  hearing  their  va- 
rious theories  they  came  to  excel  in  the  art  of  detecting 
their  weak  points,  extracting  infinite  amusement  from 
their  own  wit  in  the  exercise,  and  speedily  forgetting  the 
teacher  in  the  rush  after  other  novelties.  The  mere  habit 
of  only  half  hearing  what  was  said,  allowing  their  atten- 
tion to  be  distracted  by  the  least  trifle,  —  this,  together 
with  the  idle  chatterers  who  thronged  the  porches,  made 
it  impossible  for  the  mass  of  Athenians  to  recognize  the 
voice  of  God  in  Paul's  words. 

Yet  even  had  they  caught  some  faint  echo  of  the 
divine  Truth,  there  was  one  irremediable  flaw  in  their 
character  which  would  have  hindered  them  from  yielding 
obedience  to  its  dictates,  —  a  lack  in  their  make-up  which 

1  According  to  Eusebius's  account  {Hist.  Ecclesiast.,  iii.  4),  this  Are- 
opagite  became  the  first  Bishop  of  Athens. 


156  SAINT  PAUL. 

rendered  their  natural  genius  insensible  to  the  meaning 
of  the  Gospel.  The  Greek  had  cultivated  all  the  gifts  of 
his  brain  at  the  expense  of  his  heart  :  with  his  quick  and 
subtle  intelligence,  his  mind  rose  in  rapid  flights  to  the 
highest  summits  of  thought  and  soared  in  a  region  of 
all  imaginable  beauty  ;  abstract  ideas,  art,  and  the  outer 
world  offered  him  unspeakable  delights  ;  he  flitted  from 
one  to  the  other,  sipping  some  sweets  from  each,  but 
never  resting  long,  never  satisfied  with  yielding  an  undi- 
vided allegiance  to  one  dear  pursuit.  Of  all  their  race 
the  Athenians  showed  the  keenest  sensitiveness  to  these 
exquisite  joys  ;  they  had  enshrined  their  ideal  in  a  love 
of  plastic  beauty.  The  marvels  of  statuary  and  painting 
which  strove  for  the  prize  of  their  approval,  the  Agora 
with  its  medley  of  sounds  and  sights,  their  stage  noted 
for  its  unrivalled  perfection,  —  all  things  about  them 
tended  to  keep  them  constantly  bright  and  observant,  by 
elevating  their  tastes,  and  increasing  the  penetration  and 
power  of  their  glance.  None  had  so  fine  an  appreciation 
of  the  charms  of  Greece,  none  loved  so  well  the  serenity 
of  its  climate,  the  graceful  sweep  of  its  landscapes,  the 
light  which  tinges  its  waves  with  azure,  and  wreathes 
its  rocks  in  mists  of  purple  and  of  gold  :  "  Happy  sons  of 
Erechtheus,"  once  said  Euripides,  "  darling  children  of  the 
Immortals,  ye  move  in  a  stainless  atmosphere,  full  of 
sweetness  and  light."  ^  Men  who  deemed  themselves  so 
fortunate  in  living  were  not  likely  to  lend  an  attentive 
ear  to  the  Evangelical  Beatitudes.  The  judges  who,  for 
her  loveliness,  acquitted  Phryne,^  the  wise  men  who  de- 
ified man  for  his  beauty  of  form,^ — what  could  they 
comprehend  of  the  mystery  of  the  Christ  ?  Their  legends, 
it  is  true,  relate  how  the  gods  have  descended  to  earth, 
in  shepherd's  frocks  ;  but  beneath  the  mask  of  mortality 
they  were  after  all  the  victorious  gods  ;  even  their  gait 

1  Euripides,  Medea,  v.  824-830. 

^  Athenseus,  xiii.  590  ;  Alciphron,  i.  30. 

^  "  If  the  world  should  give  birth  to  a  few  mortals  any  way  like  these 
images  of  the  Gods,  the  rest  of  mankind  would  agree  to  pledge  them 
never-ending  obedience."  Aristotle,  Po/zï.,  cap.  ii.  15;  Plato,  Phœdrus, 
passim.     Cf.  Herodotus,  v.  47;  vii.  187. 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY.  —  ATHENS.         157 

betrayed  them.  A  God  mocked,  beaten,  and  nailed  to  the 
Cross  shocked  the  refined  Athenians'  taste  ;  they  rejected 
the  thought  with  contempt,  and  this  feeling  of  disdain 
was  enough  to  decide  their  future  course,  since  the  habit 
of  looking  at  everything  as  food  for  clever  argument  had 
had  its  fatal  result  in  the  loss  of  all  good  faith  and  sin- 
cerity ;  it  was  no  longer  a  question  of  convincing  them, 
but  of  tickling  their  ears  with  bright  talk. 

No  defect  of  the  Greek  mind  could  be  more  repugnant 
to  a  man  of  Paul's  firm  character  than  this  want  of 
seriousness,  for  in  the  intellectual  world  such  fickleness 
of  soul  paves  the  way  to  a  state  of  frivolous  thought- 
lessness, and  in  practical  affairs  degenerates  into  double- 
dealing  and  duplicity.  Generally  speaking,  the  Greek  of 
those  times  was  but  too  often  what  he  is  to-day,  a  shrewd 
and  accomplished  man  of  the  world,  but  a  knave.  The 
upright  and  honest  hearts  which  the  Gospel  was  address- 
ing were  but  few  and  far  between  in  this  race,  so  noble 
in  appearance  but  in  reality  so  crafty,  hard,  selfish,  and 
vain.  The  mercantile  centres,  with  their  mixed  popula- 
tions, had  proved  heretofore  the  most  fruitful  field  of 
labor  for  the  Apostle  ;  Corinth,  the  only  city  of  Greece 
which  had  fostered  its  opportunities  for  trade,  Corinth 
was  close  at  hand.  Thither  Paul  turned  his  steps,  carry- 
ing away  from  Athens  a  profounder  scorn  of  worldly  wis- 
dom, a  greater  ardor  to  overcome  it  by  "  the  word  of  the 
Cross."  ^ 

1  1  Cor.  i.  18. 


CHAPTEE  VII. 

SECOND   MISSION   JOURNEY.  —  CORINTH. 

• 

I.  —  Foundation  of  the  Corinthian  Church. 

The  route  by  land  from  Athens  to  Corinth  followed 
the  shore,  passing  through  Eleusis  and  Megara.  Paul 
doubtless  preferred  the  sea  way  as  shorter  and  less  costly  ; 
crossing  the  Saronic  Gulf,  he  landed  at  Kenchrsea,  lying 
at  the  opening  of  a  fine  valley  which  traverses  the  isth- 
mus ;  from  here  a  walk  of  two  hours  brought  the  Apostle 
into  Corinth. 

The  town  which  then  bore  this  name  was  no  longer 
the  ancient  city  which,  like  Sparta  and  Athens,  had  had 
its  brief  hour  of  supremacy  over  all  Greece.  The  Achaean 
Alliance,  which  conferred  upon  it  this  preponderance  in 
national  affairs,  did  not  survive  the  last  King  of  Mace- 
donia more  than  twenty-two  years.  Eome  was  on  the 
watch  for  the  moment  in  which  to  sound  the  death-knell 
of  the  faint  hopes  of  Hellenic  independence  :  an  uprising 
of  a  few  patriots  furnished  the  desired  excuse.  Mum- 
mius  captured  Corinth  (146  B.  c),  set  the  city  in  flames, 
and  did  not  leave  it  until  nothing  was  left  but  a  heap 
of  ashes.^  For  one  hundred  years  these  ruins  remained 
untenanted,  until  the  day  Cœsar  despatched  an  Italian 
colony  to  rebuild  the  town.  These  new-comers,  freedmen 
for  the  most  part,  formed  a  mixed  population,^  a  vulgar 
throng  on  the  whole,  but  with  the  protection  of  Eome 
they  could  boast  at  least  of  possessing  an  inestimable 
advantage  in  times  of  need.     As  it  turned  out,  this  at- 

1  Strabo,  viii.  vi.  2?,  23  ;  Pausanias,  ii.  i,  2  ;  Plutarch,  Ccesar,  57. 

2  Strabo,  viii.  vi.  23  ;  Aristides,  Or.,  iii.  pp.  37  et  seq.,  Dindorf  s  ed. 


SE  COND  MISSION  JO  URNE  Y.  —  CORINTH.       159 

traction  was  enough  to  repeople  Corinth  in  the  space  of  a 
few  years,  for  this  with  its  situation  insured  them  great 
prosperity  in  trade.  Perched  on  a  low  headland  on  the 
southwestern  ridge  of  the  isthmus,  the  city  clings  to  the 
side  of  a  mountain  of  some  two  thousand  feet  in  height, 
crowned  by  the  famous  citadel.  These  heights,  known 
as  the  Acrocorinthus,  and  wide  enough  to  contain  a  city 
on  their  summits,  are  protected  by  cliffs  on  all  sides,  so 
steep  that  a  handful  of  men  were  sufficient  to  defend 
them  and  bar  the  way  to  the  Peloponnesus.^ 

The  site  of  the  town,  which  in  the  period  of  the 
struggles  between  the  Grecian  cities  gave  it  such  an 
advantage  over  its  neighbors,  was  no  longer  so  important 
to  its  welfare  now  that  Hellas  was  held  by  the  strong 
hand  of  Eome  in  a  state  of  peace,  or,  in  other  words,  of 
desolation.  Indeed,  Caesar's  purpose  when  restoring  Cor- 
inth, was  not  so  much  to  create  a  military  post  as  a  har- 
bor which  should  be  a  way  station  between  the  two 
quarters  of  the  world,  and  certainly  he  could  not  have 
made  a  better  choice.  Overlooking  the  two  seas,  Corinth 
saw  the  ships  from  Italy  and  the  West  entering  her  port 
of  Lechseum  on  one  side,  while  in  that  of  Kenchrsea,  on 
the  other,  were  anchored  the  fleets  of  the  Eastern  seas. 
The  latter  harbor,  it  is  true,  was  some  six  miles  distant 
from  the  city  ;  but  the  transportation  of  merchandise  was 
a  slight  affair  for  barks  of  such  small  tonnage,  while 
furthermore  there  was  a  highway  laid  out  across  the  nar- 
rowest part  of  the  isthmus,  making  it  possible  to  trans- 
port the  vessels  themselves  from  one  port  to  the  other 
without  unloading  their  cargoes.^  This  passage,  or  carry, 
saved  the  trouble  of  making  the  circuit  of  the  Pelopon- 
nesus, and  consequently  of  that  Malean  cape  of  sinister 
renown  ?  ^  It  was  the  favorite  route  from  the  time  when, 
after  rising  from  its  ashes,  Corinth  could  afford  the  sea- 
man every  facility  for  crossing  the  isthmus. 

1  In  the  time  of  Aratus,  400  soldiers  with  50  dogs  sufficed  to  guard  this 
post.     Plutarch,  Aratus,  xxiv. 

2  Strabo,  viii.  vi.  22. 

3  "Formidatum  Maleae  caput."  Statius,  Thebais,  ii.  33.  MaAeas  Se  Koifi 
^/os  eiriXdOov  twv  oif«aSe.    Strabo,  iii.  vi.  20. 


160  SAINT  PAUL. 

The  reconstruction  of  the  city  was,  like  the  extension 
of  its  trade,  as  rapid  as  it  was  successful.  In  a  few 
years  the  Eoman  colonists  could  look  down  on  a  forest 
of  masts,  attracted  to  their  harbors  by  the  prosperity  of 
Corinth.  Jews  and  Syrians,  quick  to  spy  out  new  fields 
for  their  trade,  swarmed  thitherwards.  The  native  Greek 
families  also  returned,  but  too  broken  in  fortunes  to  form 
an  aristocracy.  Accordingly,  in  a  society  made  up  of 
seafaring  men,  merchants,  and  commercial  speculators,  the 
real  ascendency  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  most  enter- 
prising and  wealthy  ;  here  the  thoughts  and  customs 
were  not  like  those  of  ancient  Greece,  but  such  as  one 
might  expect  from  the  adventurous  spirits  which  were 
thronging  to  the  new  city.  As  always,  these  elements 
could  not  mingle  without  corrupting  and  being  corrupted 
in  turn.  The  Orient  brought  thither  its  perverse  and 
shameful  passions,  Kome  its  pitiless  brutality  and  bloody 
sports.  There  was  never  a  time  when  the  name  of  Cor- 
inth failed  to  suggest  the  idea  of  license,  but  now  this 
characteristic  had  passed  into  a  proverb  among  all  men.'^ 
The  scene  of  its  worst  excesses  was  then,  as  of  yore, 
about  the  fane  of  Venus  on  the  Acrocorinthus.  Helios, 
of  the  age  of  fable,  after  wresting  these  heights  from 
Neptune,  had  bestowed  them  upon  the  impurest  ideal  of 
Venus,  the  so  called  Pandemos^  and  now  a  thousand 
priestesses  performed  the  services  of  her  temple.^  Their 
ability  to  plunder  any  one  who  trusted  himself  to  their 
blandishments  was  a  fact  of  common  repute  ;  in  the 
necropolis  of  Corinth,  Laïs  was  symbolized  under  the 
form  of  a  lioness  clutching  her  prey  in  her  claws  and 
devouring  it.*  Flourishing  in  the  midst  of  a  populace 
famed  for  its  mad  pleasures,  this  source  of  immorality 
brought  about  a  remarkable  state  of  moral  degradation.^ 
Paul  was  in  Corinth  when  he  drew  that  gloomy  picture 

1  See  Hesychius  under  the  word  KopivQiâCiiv. 

2  Pauly,  Real  Encyklopadie,  Corinthia. 

3  Strabo,  viii.  vi.  20. 
*  Pausanias,  ii.  2. 

5  Horace,  1  EpisL,  xvii.  36;  Juvenal,  Sat.  viii.  113  ;  Athenseus,  vii.  13; 
xiii.  21,  32,  54  ;  Strabo,  xii.  iii.  36  ;  Aristides,  OraL,  iii,  p.  39,  etc. 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY.—  CORINTH.        161 

of  Paganism  wherein  all  its  excesses   are   so  strikingly 
portrayed.^ 

In  this  slough  of  wickedness,  as  everywhere  in  Hea- 
then lands,  Israel  remained  far  superior  to  the  Gentiles, 
cherishing  its  holy  Law,  escaping  the  contagion  of  vice 
by  living  in  isolation,  and  most  of  all  by  devoting  all  its 
energies  to  commerce.  Their  community  at  Corinth, 
powerful  both  in  numbers  and  civic  influence,  was  con- 
tinually increased  by  hosts  of  Jews  whom  the  edict  of 
Claudius  had  expelled  from  Kome,^  and  thereby  forced 
to  fall  back  to  the  eastward.  Among  these  new  citizens 
were  two  Israelitish  natives  of  Pontus,  recently  arrived 
from  Italy,  Aquila  and  his  wife  Priscilla,  who  were  weav- 
ers of  tent  cloth  like  Saint  Paul,  and  who  very  soon 
became  acquainted  with  him  in  the  course  of  their  busi- 
ness. After  the  manner  of  many  Jews  of  that  time,  both 
followed  their  trade  by  wandering  from  place  to  place  ; 
though  they  had  quitted  Italy  for  Corinth,  we  shall  come 
across  them  again  settled  in  Ephesus,  thereafter  revisiting 
Corinth  only  to  return  to  Eome,^  and  later  on  again  re- 
visiting Asia.^  Their  early  meeting  with  Paul,  and  the 
relations  established  between  them,  as  well  as  the  fact 
that  no  mention  is  made  of  their  conversion  in  the  Acts, 
would  make  it  seem  more  than  likely  that  they  were 
already  Christians  when  the  Apostle  met  them.  Happy 
at  the'^discovery  that  he  was  no  longer  alone  in  this  great 
town,  Paul  hastened  to  cast  in  his  fortunes  with  these 
w^orking  people.  Thereafter  he  shared  their  lodgings 
and  their  daily  labors.  Their  dwelling  must  have  been 
poor  enough,  for  tent-making  is  not  a  trade  likely  to 
enrich  its  followers.  Paul,  though  toiling  day  and  night, 
had  to  endure  the  hardest  pangs  of  poverty,  —  hunger, 
thirst,  and,  worst  of  all,  the  insults  which  the  Pagan  citi- 
zens were  only  too  glad  to  shower  on  any  Jew  whose 
wealth  did  not  inspire  respect.     A  few  years  later  he 

i  Rom.  i.  26-32. 

2  "Judœos,  impulsore  Chresto  assidue  tumultuanes,  Roma  expulit." 
Suetonius,  Claudius,  25. 

3  Acts  xviii.  18,  26;  1  Cor.  xvi.  19;  Rom.  xvi.  3. 

4  2  Tim.  iv.  19. 

11 


162  SAINT  PAUL. 

reminds  the  Corinthians  of  his  condition  when  they  first 
saw  him  ;  nowhere,  unless  perhaps  at  Ephesus,  was  the 
Apostle  reduced  to  such  a  state  of  distress.^  Aquila  and 
Priscilla,  however  anxious  they  might  be  to  lighten  the 
burdens  of  their  guest,  could  hardly  do  more  than  com- 
passionate and  share  his  misery.  Thus  they  suffered 
together  in  their  stuffy  little  shop,  working  on  bravely, 
with  far  too  much  self-respect  and  pride  to  ask  for  help. 
Priscilla  would  seem  to  have  been  the  soul  of  the  house- 
hold, Paul's  helper  and  stay  in  seasons  of  greater  hard- 
ship, for  she  is  named  before  Aquila  in  the  Apostle's 
letters  :  "  Salute  for  my  sake  Priscilla  and  Aquila,  who 
have  labored  with  me  in  the  service  of  Jesus  Christ,  who 
have  risked  their  lives  to  save  me,  and  to  whom  not  I 
alone  am  indebted,  but  also  all  the  Churches  of  the  Gen- 
tiles." 2  None  of  the  many  Christians  who  seconded  the 
Apostle  in  his  labors  ever  received  such  praise  from 
his  pen. 

During  those  days  of  trial  Paul  realized  more  keenly 
than  ever  the  value  of  such  friendships.  We  have  seen 
before  this  how,  knowing  that  he  was  forced  by  his 
physical  infirmities  to  depend  on  those  about  him,  when 
left  alone,  he  became  a  prey  to  overpowering  uneasiness 
and  anxiety.  Thus  upon  his  arrival  in  Corinth,  when 
he  felt  the  shadows  of  his  old  complaint  with  all  its 
impalpable  terrors  closing  about  him,  he  owed  it  to  Pris- 
cilla and  her  husband  that  he  recovered  strength  and 
confidence.  He  began  by  preaching  in  the  workshop 
where  he  sat  at  the  loom  side  by  side  with  them,  but  he 

1  1  Cor.  iv.  11-13.  "Axpt  ttjs  IkpTi  S>pas  koÏ  Tmvâfxçv  koX  di\pâ}fx€v, 
kt\.  "  Up  to  this  hour  [in  which  we  are  writing  you]  we  continue  ever 
in  the  same  state  as  you  have  seen  us  in  Corinth,  —  we  suffer  hunger, 
thirst,"  etc. 

2  Rom.  xvi.  3;  2  Tim.  iv.  19.  S.  Luke  calls  her  Priscilla;  S.  Paul, 
Prisca.  In  Latin  authors  we  often  find  various  forms  for  the  same  name  ; 
e.  g.  Livia  and  Lavilla,  Drusa  and  Drusilla,  used  to  designate  the  same 
person.  Though  they  led  such  a  poverty-stricken  existence  in  Corinth 
and  Ephesus,  it  would  appear  that  hetter  days  came  later  on  for  Aquila 
and  Priscilla,  since,  some  five  years  after,  they  had  a  house  on  the  Aven- 
tine,  which  was  large  enough  to  be  used  as  a  Sanctuary  by  the  brethren 
of  Rome,  to  whom  it  was  always  open.  Rom.  xvi.  3-5.  See  /Saint  Peter 
and  the  First  Years  of  Christianitij,  chap,  xviii. 


SE COND  MISSION  JO  URNE  Y.  —  CORINTH.        163 

finally  took  the  bold  step  of  speaking  publicly  before  the 
assembly  of  the  Jews.  The  Sabbath,  even  in  mercantile 
cities  like  Thessalonica  and  Corinth,  was  rigorously  ob- 
served ;  every  shop  belonging  to  the  Jews  was  shut  up 
on  that  day,  and  the  occupants  betook  themselves  to  the 
synagogue.  However  poor  and  contemptible  a  figure  the 
Apostle  may  have  cut  in  the  midst  of  his  countrymen, 
who  were  for  the  most  part  wealthy  and  influential  citi- 
zens, his  title  of  Master  in  Israel  gave  him  the  right  to 
be  heard  in  any  gathering  of  Jews.  Once  this  claim  was 
established,  he  made  good  use  of  it  every  week  there- 
after by  preaching  before  the  full  synagogue,  "  bringing 
into  his  discourses  the  Name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  per- 
suading Jews  and  Greeks."  ^  The  last  named  element  in 
the  audience  was  generally  quite  considerable  in  num- 
bers in  all  towns  like  Corinth,  thronged  with  a  restless, 
curious  population.  Paul  did  not  endeavor  to  mould  his 
preaching  into  the  didactic  forms  so  cherished  by  Greeks  ; 
he  had  tried  this  once  in  the  presence  of  the  Athenians, 
making  use  of  oratorical  phrases  to  catch  their  attention, 
and  laying  great  stress  on  those  truths  of  Christianity 
which  corresponded  most  closely  to  the  aspirations  of 
their  philosophies.  The  poor  success  of  this  his  first 
attempt  was  enough  to  make  him  abandon  such  efforts 
here  at  Corinth.  "  I  did  not  come  before  you,"  he  re- 
minds the  disciples  in  that  city,  "  with  fine  speeches, 
eloquent  discourses,  and  human  wisdom  ;  I  deemed  it 
best  to  know  nothing  whatsoever  among  you  save  Jesus 
Christ  and  Him  crucified."  ^ 

The  Gospel  in  its  sternest  simplicity  —  the  Cross  of 
Jesus  —  was  therefore  the  Christianity  which  he  preached 
to  the  Corinthians.  Paul's  burning  zeal  in  spreading  the 
truth,  the  miracles  without  number  which  he  worked  to 
lend  authority  to  his  words,  were  enough  to  insure  the 
belief  of  many  ;  ^  Pagans  and  Jews  alike  yielded  to  the 
new  persuasion.^  The  tide  of  conversions  was  checked 
only  by  the  Apostle's  proud  constancy  in  his  resolution 

1  Acts  xviii.  4.  ^  I  Cor.  ii.  4;  2  Cor.  xii.  11,  12. 

2  1  Cor.  ii.  1,2.  4  Acts  xviii.  4, 


164  SAINT  PAUL. 

not  to  accept  anything  from  his  followers,  —  a  resolve 
which  obliged  him  to  labor  without  any  rest,  leaving  him 
with  no  day  to  himself  save  the  Sabbath.  Doubtless 
during  the  week  his  tasks  were  not  of  so  exacting  a 
nature  as  to  keep  his  tongue  tied,  but  only  those  could 
profit  by  his  instructions  who  sought  him  out  at  his  lodg- 
ings with  Aquila  and  Priscilla. 

With  the  arrival  of  Silas  and  Timothy  at  Corinth  this 
situation  was  altered  very  materially  They  brought  with 
them  generous  offerings  from  the  Churches  of  Macedonia,^ 
the  only  congregations  from  whom  Paul  could  not  refuse 
a  helping  hand.  Thenceforth  he  was  freed  from  temporal 
cares,  and,  feeling  that  he  had  a  still  more  valuable  sup- 
port in  the  two  companions  who  had  shared  his  Apos- 
tolate  ever  since  he  left  Antioch,  Paul  devoted  himself 
with  his  whole  heart  to  the  work  of  preaching,^  urging 
his  brethren  of  Israel  by  word  and  deed,  proving  to  them 
from  the  Scriptures  that  Jesus  was  indeed  the  Christ. 
The  leading  men  of  Jewish  society  at  Corinth  —  powerful 
merchants  and  wealthy  financiers  —  were  not  likely  to 
allow  any  one  to  disturb  their  religious  tranquillity  in 
this  uncomfortable  fashion.  They  had  tolerated  the 
stranger  at  first,  regarding  him  as  only  another  of  those 
missionary  artisans  who  were  overrunning  the  communi- 
ties of  Israel.  As  no  one  saw  or  heard  anything  of  the 
fellow  except  on  Saturday,  his  peculiar  language,  while  it 
excited  their  curiosity,  did  not  disquiet  them  greatly. 
But  when  they  began  to  encounter  him  day  after  day 
on  their  walks,  reasoning  with  their  fellow  countrymen, 
winning  them  over  to  his  peculiar  notions,  such  impor- 
tunate solicitations  became  quite  insufferable.  They  pro- 
ceeded to  excite  an  opposition  to  the  Apostle  when  he 
appeared  before  the  assembly,  which  as  usual  proved  as 
unreasoning  as  it  was  noisy  and  brutal  :  shrieks  and  blas- 
phemies assailed  him  when  he  attempted  to  speak.  Paul 
knew  by  experience  that,  once  Jewish  fanaticism  is  aroused, 

1  2  Cor.  xi.  9. 

2  "  Locutio  avviix^To  t^  Xéycp  videtur  valere  :  totus  habehatur  a 
verbo  {r^  \6y(p  Dativ.  Instrumenti)."  Beelen,  Commentarius  in  Acta, 
xviii.  5. 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY.—  CORINTH.        165 

nothing  can  appease  it.  Ascending  for  the  last  time  into 
the  pulpit  of  the  synagogue,  he  shook  off  the  dust  from 
his  garments  against  his  fellow  Israelites. 

"  Your  blood,"  he  cried,  "  be  upon  your  own  heads  !  As 
for  me,  I  am  guiltless.  From  henceforth  I  will  go  unto 
the  Gentiles."     And  forthwith  he  left  the  synagogue. 

A  house  belonging  to  a  proselyte  named  Justus  stood 
close  by  ;  Paul  entered  it  and  made  it  the  Sanctuary  of 
Corinth,  the  place  where  the  disciples  gathered  henceforth 
for  the  Breaking  of  Bread,  for  prayer,  and  to  listen  to 
God's  word.  This  dwelling  was  quieter  than  Aquila's 
workshop,  where  the  Apostle  doubtless  continued  to  lodge 
and  work  at  his  craft,i  while  it  had  the  further  advantage 
of  being  within  convenient  distance  of  the  synagogue,  and 
consequently  easily  reached  by  those  who  were  cast  out 
by  that  assembly.  The  Jews  were  highly  indignant  at 
the^  discovery  that  many  of  their  number  were  finding 
their  way  thither,  and  that  among  them  was  the  leader 
of  their  synagogue,  Crispus,  with  all  his  household.  Other 
Corinthians  of  high  standing  had  preceded  him,  and  were 
now  furthering  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel;  for  Paul 
designates  "as  first  fruits  of  Achaia,  Stephanas  and  his 
family,  who  had  dedicated  themselves  to  the  service  of  the 
saints."^  These  first  neophytes,  who  were  rich  enough 
to  devote  their  whole  time,  unhindered  by  other  cares,  to 
charitable  works,  rendered  him  such  effective  aid  that 
Paul,  some  years  later,  when  writing  of  them  to  the 
Corinthians,  says  :  "  I  beseech  you  to  show  them  the 
deference  due  to  persons  of  their  condition,  and  to  all 
such  as  contribute  by  their  pains  and  labors  to  the  work 
of  God.3  As  belonging  to  the  same  rank  as  this  family, 
Paul  mentions  Caius,  whose  guest  he  was  during  his 
second  visit  to  Corinth.*  Out  of  respect  for  this  person- 
age, as  also  in  the  case  of  Crispus  and  the  household  of 
Stephanas,  the  Apostle  departed  from  his  general  rule  of 

^  1  Generous  as  were  the  alms  offered  by  the  Churches  of  Macedonia,  it 
IS  hardly  likely  that  they  sufficed  to  support  Paul  and  his  two  companions 
m  the  Apostolate  for  a  year  and  a  half, 

2  1  Cor.  xvi.  15. 

»  1  Cor.  xvi.  15,  16.  4  Rom.  xvi.  23. 


166  SAINT  PAUL. 

never  baptizing  any  one  with  his  own  hands  ;  he  himself 
conferred  on  them  the  new  birth  in  water  and  the  Holy 
Ghost.i 

"  Many  other  Corinthians,  when  they  had  heard  Paul, 
believed  and  were  baptized."  ^  Among  them  is  an  im- 
portant personage,  one  Eras  tus,  the  treasurer  of  the  city  ; 
then  there  are  certain  members  of  the  Eoman  colony, — 
Tertius,  who  wrote  out  the  letter  to  the  Eomans  under 
the  Apostle's  dictation,  and  Quartus,  whom  he  classes  in 
the  same  rank  as  Caius  and  Erastus.^  Still  others  bear 
slave  names,  such  as  Fortunatus  and  Achaicus.  Below 
these  Christians,  whom  Paul  mentions  as  distinguished 
both  for  their  birth  and  piety,  the  large  majority  of  the 
converts  belonged  to  the  poorer  and  lowlier  classes.  There 
were  large  numbers  of  slaves,*  many  sick  and  infirm,^ 
while  few  could  lay  claim  to  learning,  great  wealth,  or 
high-born  and  powerful  connections.^  The  women  alone, 
who  in  this  town  turned  to  the  Christ  in  greater  numbers 
than  anywhere  else,  appear  to  have  belonged  to  every 
race  and  rank  and  age,  —  Greeks,  Italians,  Orientals, 
maidens,  widows,  and  mothers  with  their  children.  One 
of  them,  named  Chloë,  was  the  mistress  of  a  large  house- 
hold, with  servants  who  went  back  and  forth  between 
Corinth  and  Ephesus  to  transact  her  business  ;  ^  another 
woman,  called  Phoebe,  probably  had  the  honor  of  being 
the  bearer  of  the  Epistle  of  Paul  to  the  Eomans,  for  she 
is  praised  in  these  terms  :  "  I  recommend  to  you  our  sister 
Phoebe,  a  servant^  of  the  Church  which  is  at  the  port  of 
Kenchr?ea,  in  order  that  you  should  receive  her,  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  as  it  becomes  us  to  receive  the  saints, 

1  1  Cor.  i.  14-16.  2  Acts  xviii.  8.  ^  Rom.  xvi.  3. 

*  1  Cor.  vii.  21  ;  xii.  13.  Slaves  were  very  numerous  at  Corinth.  Ac- 
cording to  Athenseus  (vi.  103)  they  numbered  460,000.  But  this  state- 
ment has  been  seriously  questioned  in  our  day.  See  Letronne,  quoted  by 
Wallon,  in  his  Histoire  de  l'Esclavage,  2*  éd.,  t.  i.  p.  278. 

5  1  Cor.  xi.  30.  6  1  Cor.  i.  26.  '  i  Cor.  i.  11. 

^  This  is  the  first  mention  we  find  of  those  pious  servants,  or  Deacon- 
esses, who  in  the  early  Church  fulfilled,  for  the  Christian  women,  functions 
very  like  those  performed  by  Deacons.  We  shall  see  how  S.  Paul,  toward 
the  close  of  his  life,  set  in  order  this  institution,  much  as  he  did  the  duties 
of  the  ecclesiastical  Hierarchy. 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY.  -  CORINTH.        167 

and  that  you  assist  her  in  all  things  wherein  she  may 
have  need  of  you  ;  for  she  herself  has  assisted  many  and 
me  in  particular."  ^  In  this  same  letter  Paul  greets  sev- 
eral other  Christians  whose  acquaintance  apparently  he 
made  at  Corinth,  —  Mary,  Tryphena,  and  Tryphosa,  with 
"  Persis,  the  dearly  beloved,  who  has  labored  much  in  the 
Lord."  2  The  salient  feature  in  the  character  of  these 
Corinthian  women  was  their  devotedness  to  the  Cause, 
showing  a  zeal  so  ardent  that  it  soon  became  necessary 
to  forbid  them  to  teach  and  preach  in  public.^  The  har- 
dihood with  which  they  assumed  these  functions  of  the 
ministry,  praying  and  prophesying  with  bare  heads  and 
without  a  veil,^  gives  some  color  to  the  conjecture  that 
they  were  ladies  of  high  station  and  accustomed  to  com- 
mand in  their  own  homes.  However  this  may  be,  so  far 
as  the  mass  of  these  Christians  were  concerned,  they  too, 
like  their  brethren  in  the  Faith,  belonged  to  the  ranks  of 
the  humble  poor  and  the  slaves  of  the  town. 

But  Paul  went  deeper  still  into  the  slough  of  wicked- 
ness about  him,  and  raised  up  some  of  his  penitents  from 
the  very  dregs  and  offscourings  of  society.  When  he 
reminds  his  faithful  flock  what  so  many  among  them  had 
been  before  their  conversion,  he  casts  a  sad  light  upon 
their  past,  — "  fornicators,  idolaters,  adulterers,  shamefully 
effeminate,  unclean,  thieves,  misers,  drunkards,  railers, 
spoilers  of  others'  goods."  ^  We  ought  not  to  feel  so  much 
surprise,  with  this  knowledge  of  their  past,  that  strange 
disorders  from  time  to  time  came  to  light  in  the  Church 
of  Corinth  ;  such  as  incest,  fornication,  and  excesses  even 
at  the  sacred  repast  whereat  the  faithful  received  the 
Body  of  God.6 

This  throng  of  converts,  despicable  as  it  may  have 
seemed  to  outsiders,  could  not  fail  of  arousing  apprehen- 

1  Rom.  xvi.  1,2.  ^  \  Cor.  xiv.  34,  35. 

2  Rom.  xvi.  6,  12.  *  1  Cor.  xi.  4-15. 

5  1  Cor.  vi.  9,  11. 

6  1  Cor.  V.  1,  9,  11;  xi.  22.  Dramatists  always  represented  the  Corin- 
thians as  drunk  whenever  they  introduced  them  into  their  plays,  so  no- 
torious was  their  city  for  this  vice,  ^lianus,  Variœ  Historiée,  iii.  15; 
Athenseus,  x.  438:  iv.  137. 


168  SAINT  PAUL. 

sions  among  the  leaders  in  Israel,  if  only  from  its  num- 
bers, the  ardor  of  their  faith,  but  most  of  all  because  of 
the  Jewish  origin  of  the  teachings  they  professed.  Fear- 
ing lest  they  should  be  compromised  by  these  separated 
brethren,  they  set  upon  them  with  such  a  renewed  access 
of  fury  that  in  his  anxious  hours  Paul  felt,  to  use  his 
own  expression,  as  if  beset  "  with  weakness,  fear,  and  a 
great  trembling."  ^  Beside  this  keen  sense  of  the  grave 
perils  which  threatened  him,  he  was  afflicted  at  this  time 
with  one  of  those  crises  which  the  Apostle  had  passed 
through  more  than  once  before,  when  his  soul,  spent  with 
struggling  against  fearful  odds,  sunk  exhausted  within 
him.  He  went  so  far  as  to  question  whether  it  was  not 
high  time  for  him  to  leave  Corinth,  since  everywhere  thus 
far,  in  Asia  Minor  as  well  as  in  Macedonia,  his  departure 
had,  if  not  terminated,  at  least  checked  the  fury  of  perse- 
cution. One  night,  as  this  plan  of  bearing  the  Gospel 
message  elsewhere  was  pressing  most  vividly  on  his  mind, 
the  Lord  appeared  to  him. 

"  Fear  naught,"  He  said  to  him,  "  speak  on,  and  do  not 
hold  thy  peace  :  I  am  with  thee.  No  one  shall  lay  hands 
upon  thee  to  do  thee  harm,  because  I  have  much  people 
in  this  city."  2 

Immediately  the  Apostle's  heart  responded  to  the 
strong  impulse  of  Faith  ;  assured  now  of  God's  will,  his 
sole  thought  was  of  reaping  the  rich  harvest  ready  to 
his  hand  here  in  Corinth.  "  He  tarried  a  year  and  a 
half,  teaching  the  word  of  God."  ^  But  he  did  not  re- 
strict his  Apostolate  to  this  city  alone  ;  Kenchrsea  ^  and 
probably  Argos  also,  where  there  were  several  Jewish 
communities,^  welcomed  the  Gospel,  and  went  to  make  up 
those  "  saints  of  all  Achaia,"  those  "  Churches  of  God," 
which  the  Apostle  was  so  fond  of  addressing  as  one  body, 
animated  by  the  same  breath  of  life.^ 

1  1  Cor.  ii.  3.  »  Acts  xviii.  11. 

2  Acts  xviii.  9, 10.  ^  Rom.  xvi.  1. 
^  Philo,  De  Legatione  ad  Caium,-p.  1031. 

6  2  Cor.  i.  1 :  2  Thess.  i.  4. 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY.—  CORINTH.        169 


IL  —  The  Epistles  to  the  Thessalonians. 

Despite  thé  troubles  and  cares  which  beset  his  Apos- 
tolic work  in  Corinth,  Paul  had  not  forgotten  his  beloved 
children  in  Macedonia.  Timothy  had  been  the  bringer 
of  joyful  news  :  the  fidelity  of  the  brethren  was  proving 
itself  strong  enough  to  withstand  the  incessant  persecu- 
tions ;  all  were  bearing  their  trials  patiently,  remember- 
ing that  these  afflictions  had  been  foretold  them,  as 
falling  to  the  lot  of  all  Christians,  God  thereby  testing 
their  Faith.^  The  calumnious  stories  about  the  Apostle, 
circulated  by  his  foes,  had  not  shaken  their  constancy. 
In  vain  the  former  accused  him  of  being  a  wily  hypo- 
crite, a  seducer  of  the  women  whom  he  converted,  an 
impostor  who  won  over  men's  minds  by  base  flattery, 
and  all  this  in  the  hope  of  gratifying  his  ambition  and 
his  avarice.'^  The  recollection  of  the  life  of  a  hard-work- 
ing artisan  which  the  Apostle  had  led  among  them, 
laboring  night  and  day  with  his  own  hands  in  order  not 
to  be  a  burden  on  any  one,  was  quite  enough  to  give 
the  lie  to  their  miserable  tales.^  How  Paul's  heart  must 
have  glowed  at  the  thought  of  such  faithfulness  !  He 
pours  out  his  joy  when  writing  the  first  letter  which  has 
come  down  to  us  from  his  pen  :  — 

"Paul  and  Silas  and  Timothy  to  the  Assembly  of  the 
Thessalonians  which  is  in  God  the  Father  and  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.     Grace  be  to  you,  and  peace  ! 

"We  give  thanks  without  ceasing  to  God  for  you  all, 
remembering  you  continually  in  our  prayers,  making  men- 
tion, before  our  God  and  Father,  of  your  work  for  the 
Faith,  your  labors  of  love,  and  the  steadfastness  of  the 
hope  which  you  have  in  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Brethren, 
beloved  by  God,  we  know  how  you  have  been  chosen  ;  for 
our  preaching  of  the  Gospel  did  not  consist  in  words  alone, 
it  has  been  accompanied  by  miracles,  by  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  by  a  great  fulness  of  His  gifts.  And  you 
know,  likewise,  what  we  have  been  among  you  for  your  sal- 

1  1  Thess.  iii.  3-4.  2  i  Thess.  ii.  3,  5.  ^  \  Thess.  ii.  9. 


170  SAINT  PAUL. 

vation.  Thus  you  have  become  followers  of  us  and  of  the 
Lord,  having  received  the  word  amid  great  afflictions  with 
the  joy  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  insomuch  that  you  have  served 
as  patterns  to  all  that  believe  in  Macedonia  and  in  Achaia. 
For  the  word  of  the  Lord  has  rung  out  mightily^  from  your 
midst;  not  only  throughout  Macedonia  and  Achaia,  but 
everywhere,  your  faith  in  God  has  been  so  noised  abroad 
that  we  have  no  need  to  say  aught  thereof,  for  every  one  is 
telling,  concerning  us,  what  was  the  measure  of  our  success 
among  you,  and  how,  on  your  side,  you  turned  from  idols 
unto  God,  to  serve  the  living  and  true  God,  and  to  wait  for 
His  Son  from  the  heavens  Whom  He  raised  from  the  dead, 
even  Jesus,  who  delivereth  us  from  the  wrath  to  come.^ 

"...  As  for  us,  brethren,  having  been  separated  from 
you  for  a  little  while,  —  in  body  not  in  heart,  —  we  have 
sought  the  more  earnestly,  with  a  lively  desire,  to  see  your 
faces  once  more  ;  for  this  reason  we  have  longed  to  go  to 
you.  I,  Paul,  more  than  once  have  planned  this  visit,  but 
Satan  hath  hindered  us.  For  what  is  our  hope,  our  joy,  the 
crown  wherein  we  glory?  what  but  your  own  selves,  before 
Our  Lord  Jesus,  in  the  Day  of  His  coming?  For  you  are 
our  glory  and  our  joy.  This  is  why,  forbearing  no  longer, 
we  chose  rather  to  be  left  alone  in  Athens,  and  sent  you 
Timothy,  our  brother,  God's  minister  and  our  fellow  laborer 
in  the  Gospel  of  the  Christ,  that  he  might  strengthen  you 
and  encourage  you  in  your  Faith,  and  that  so  none  of  you 
should  be  shaken  in  the  present  tribulations  ;  for  you  know 
that  unto  this  are  we  appointed.  Even  during  the  time  we 
were  with  you,  we  forewarned  you  that  we  should  have 
afflictions  to  bear,  and  such  we  have  had,  indeed,  as  you 
are  aware.  This  then,  is  why,  forbearing  no  longer,  I  sent 
him  to  you  to  learn  tidings  of  your  faith,  for  fear  lest  the 
tempter  should  have  tempted  you  and  our  labor  should 
have  been  made  void.  But  now  that  Timothy  has  returned 
from  you  unto  us  and  has  rendered  good  testimony  of  your 
faith  and  love,  he  tells  me  that  you  cherish  always  a  kindly 
remembrance  of  us,  ardently  longing  to  see  us,  as  we  also 
long  to  see  you.  Thereby,  brethren,  we  have  been  comforted 
in  our  distresses  and  tribulations,  because  of  you  and  of 
your  faith  ;  for  we  live,  if  only  you  continue  steadfast  in 

ti  'EIt^X'?''"''  "  rang  like  a  trumpet,"  w<nrep  ffdhtn-yyos  Ka^iirphv  rjxovo-rjs- 
S.  John  Chrysostom,  in  loco. 
2  1  Thess.  i.  1-ia 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY.—  CORINTH.        171 

the  Lord.  And  indeed,  how  shall  I  return  sufficient  thanks- 
giving unto  God  for  the  joy  wherewith  we  are  filled  in  His 
presence  on  your  account  ?  Thus,  then,  we  beseech  Him, 
day  and  night,  most  urgently,  that  He  will  grant  this,  — 
that  we  may  see  you  and  supply  what  is  yet  wanting  to 
your  Faith.  Now,  may  our  God  and  Father,  may  Our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  direct  my  path  to  you  ;  and  as  for  you,  may 
the  Lord  cause  you  to  abound  and  superabound  in  love  for 
one  another  and  for  all  men,  even  as  we  also  for  you  ;  may 
He  keep  your  hearts  steadfast,  and  unblamable  in  holiness 
before  God  our  Father,  unto  the  Day  when  Jesus  Christ 
Our  Lord  shall  appear  with  all  His  Saints."  ^ 

Mingling  with  the  words  of  glad  approbation  which 
occur  so  often  in  this  letter,  now  and  then  we  come 
across  a  few  carefully-worded  rebukes,  couched  under 
the  form  of  exhortations.  Evidently  Timothy's  report, 
however  comforting  in  its  general  purport,  had  not  con- 
cealed the  fact  that  regarding  certain  points,  such  as 
purity  of  morals,  brotherly  charity,  and  spirit  of  applica- 
tion to  their  daily  tasks,  there  were  some  regrettable 
failures  on  their  part.  It  behoved  their  founder  to  re- 
mind them  of  "  the  commands  of  the  Lord  Jesus  "  on 
these  subjects.  This  Paul  did  with  all  his  wonted  vigor 
of  expression.^ 

The  most  dangerous  snare  to  the  Christians  of  Thessa- 
lonica  was  the  fascination  which  the  expected  end  of  the 
world  exerted  over  their  minds.  This  belief,  which  we 
shall  encounter  constantly  in  studying  the  first  genera- 
tion of  Christians,  had  very  various  effects  on  different 
communities.  Many  of  the  disciples  drew  from  it  new 
strength  to  work  and  watch,  laboring  the  more  to  gain 
as  much  as  possible  from  the  talent  intrusted  to  them  by 
the  Master;  others,  on  the  contrary,  regarded  all  pro- 
vision for  the  future  and  all  toil  for  the  present  as  use- 
less, considering  that  to-morrow  might  bring  the  end  of 
everything  earthly.  During  his  sojourn  in  Thessalonica 
the  Apostle  had  had  to  combat  this  temptation,  and 
finally  gained  the  victory  ;  but  since  his  departure  sev- 

1  1  Thess.  ii.  17  — iii.  13.  -  1  Thess.  iv.  1-11. 


172  SAINT  PAUL. 

eral  deaths  had  occurred  in  the  little  flock,  troubling 
many  faithful  hearts.  What  would  become  of  the  first 
disciples  who  now  slept  in  the  Lord  ?  Would  not  their 
condition  be  a  less  happy  one  than  that  of  their  brethren 
left  alive  unto  the  coming  of  Jesus  ?  Foolish  anxieties, 
which  Paul  dissipated  by  depicting  the  suddenness 
wherewith  all  things  should  be  accomplished  on  that 
great  final  Day. 

"  We  would  not  have  you  remain  in  ignorance,  brethren, 
touching  those  who  are  asleep,  that  you  grieve  not  your- 
selves like  other  men  who  have  no  hope.  If  we  believe 
that  Jesus  died  and  rose  again,  we  ought  to  believe  also 
that  God  will  lead  unto  Jesus  such  as  have  fallen  asleep  in 
Him.  That  which  we  say  unto  you  now  we  have  learned 
from  the  Lord.  We,  the  living,  who  remain  unto  the  com- 
ing of  the  Lord,^  shall  not  precede  those  who  sleep.  For 
the  Lord  Himself,  with  the  shout  of  command,  with  the 
Archangel's  voice,  and  the  sound  of  God's  trumpet,  shall 
descend  from  Heaven  ;  then  those  who  shall  have  died  in 
Christ  shall  be  the  first  to  rise  again  ;  thereafter  we,  the 
living,  who  remain  shall  be  caught  up  with  them  into  the 
clouds  to  come  before  the  Lord  in  the  skies  ;  and  so  we 
shall  be  forever  with  the  Lord.  Wherefore  comfort  one 
another  with  these  words."  ^ 

The  Apostle  does  not  abandon  this  subject  without  a 
word  of  warning  to  the  Thessalonians,  that,  though  they 
must  be  ever  watchful,  searching  the  horizon  of  time,  yet 
is  it  useless  to  try  to  foretell  the  day  and  the  hour  of  a 
catastrophe  which  shall  manifest  itself  with  the  swiftness 
of  the  thunderbolt. 

1  He  means  by  tliis  those  mortals  who  shall  be  on  earth  at  the  last  day 
who  shall  thus  escape  the  decree  uttered  against  all  humankind  (Heb. 
ix.  27),  and  who  shall  appear  at  once  before  God.  For  this  interpreta- 
tion of  the  sacred  text,  see  Père  Corluy's  Spicilegium  Dogmatico-Bibli- 
cum,  t.  i.  pp.  332-338.  By  the  words,  "  we,  the  living,  who  shall  remain 
until  the  Lord's  coming,"  the  Apostle  does  not  intend  to  designate  his 
generation  exclusively.  Comparing  the  condition  of  those  Christians  who 
shall  have  died  before  the  hour  of  the  General  Judgment  with  that  of 
those  who  shall  still  be  living  then,  he  does  not  put  himself  among  the 
former,  but  employs  much  the  same  figure  of  speech  that  we  make  use  of 
in  our  Creed,  —  "  God  shall  come  to  judge  the  living  and  the  dead." 

2  1  Thess.  iv.  12-17. 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY.—  CORINTH.        173 

^^As  for  the  time  and  the  moment,  you  have  no  need, 
brethren,  that  any  one  should  write  you,  for  you  yourselves 
know  perfectly  that  the  Day  of  the  Lord  cometh  as  a  thief 
in  the  night.  Thus  it  shall  be  when  men  say,  '  Peace  and 
safety,'  that  destruction  shall  fall  upon  them  as  the 
pangs  upon  a  woman  that  is  with  child,  and  they  shall  not 
escape.  But  you,  brethren,  are  not  in  the  darkness,  that 
that  Day  should  come  upon  you  as  a  thief;  you  are  all 
children  of  the  light  and  sons  of  the  day  ;  we  are  neither  of 
the  night  nor  of  the  darkness.  Therefore  let  us  not  sleep 
as  do  others,  but  let  us  watch  and  be  sober.  For  they  that 
slumber  slumber  in  the  night,  and  they  that  are  drunken 
are  drunken  in  the  night.  But  let  us,  who  are  of  the  day, 
beware  of  drunkenness,  putting  on  the  breastplate  of 
Faith  and  Love,  taking  for  our  helmet  the  Hope  of  Salva- 
tion ;  for  God  has  not  chosen  us  to  be  the  objects  of  His 
wrath,  but  to  make  us  possessors  of  Salvation  through  Our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  Who  died  for  us,  that,  whether  we  wake 
or  sleep,  we  may  live  forever  with  Him."  ^ 

These  words,  though  intended  to  reassure  the  Thessa- 
lonians,  had  quite  the  opposite  effect  ;  for  here  was  Paul 
himself  confessing  his  uncertainty  as  to  the  hour  when 
the  world  was  to  come  to  an  end  !  Though  in  the  Divine 
Kevelations  he  did^  indeed  foresee  the  series  of  events 
which  were  to  lead  up  to  the  final  catastrophe,  still  there 
was  one  point  that  escaped  his  prophetic  glance,  —  the 
time  when  all  this  was  destined  to  take  place.  This 
very  state  of  ignorance  had  been  predicted  by  Jesus: 
"  Of  the  day  and  the  hour  no  one  hath  any  knowledge, 
not  even  the  Angels  of  Heaven  ;  My  Father  alone  know- 
eth  it."2  It  follows,  therefore,  from  the  truth  expressed 
in  these  words,  that  the  Apostles  must  have  been  left  in 
the  same  uncertainty  as  were  their  disciples,  not  knowing 
whether  the  end  of  the  world  was  to  come  to  pass  during 
their  life  or  after  their  death. 

Another  event,  on  which  Revelation  had  cast  a  clearer 
light,  contributed  to  their  increasing  fears.  Jerusalem 
was  soon  to  be  destroyed.  This  the  Lord  had  declared, 
and  the  Holy  Spirit  had  disclosed  to  them  that  in  this 

1  1  Thess.  V.  1-10.  2  Matt.  xxiv.  36. 


174  SAINT  PAUL. 

matter  the  words  of  Jesus  were  to  be  understood  literally. 
Now,  as  no  son  of  Israel  could  conceive  of  the  world's 
existing  without  the  Law,  the  Temple,  and  the  Holy 
City,  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  to  the  minds  of  dis- 
ciples born  and  bred  in  Judaism,  even  to  the  proselytes 
permeated  with  their  ideas,  seemed  to  involve  that  of  the 
whole  world.  This  accounts  for  the  opinion  in  vogue, 
not  only  in  Thessalonica,  but  throughout  all  Christian 
communities  as  well,  that  all  things  were  to  come  to  an 
end  with  the  present  generation. 

Did  the  Apostles  permit  themselves  to  be  carried  away 
by  this  current  of  public  sentiment  ?  It  does  not  seem 
reasonable  to  suppose  so.  Despite  their  entirely  Jewish 
bringing  up,  the  divine  inspiration  on  the  one  hand  would 
prevent  them  from  saying  anything  untrue  on  this  sub- 
ject, while  on  the  other  the  special  assistance  which  they 
received  from  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  guidance  and  instruc- 
tion of  the  Church  makes  it  impossible  for  us  to  admit 
that  they  could  have  declared  to  their  brethren  that  the 
last  day  of  the  world  would  find  them  still  alive.  Since 
the  Saviour  had  said,  in  so  many  words,  "No  one  knoweth 
the  day  or  the  hour,"  ^  thus  excluding  any  precise  deter- 
mination, they  would  take  care  not  to  indicate  any  period 
or  any  term  of  years  longer  than  which  the  world  could 
not  last.  More  than  any  one  else,  perhaps,  Paul  guarded 
his  words  on  this  subject  with  watchful  prudence.  When 
his  disciples  begged  him  to  note  the  time  of  tlie  great 
catastrophe,  he  was  content  to  repeat  again,  as  just  now 
to  the  Thessalonians,  those  words  of  the  Master  :  "  The 
Day  of  the  Lord  shall  come  like  a  thief  "  ;  ^  that  is  to  say, 
for  all  men  that  hour  was  to  come  unexpectedly,  and 
consequently  for  all  it  must  ever  remain  unforeseen  and 
uncertain  :   it  is  the  secret  of  our  Father  in  Heaven. 

Paul's  message,  greedily  devoured  by  the  friends  at 
Thessalonica,  meditated  upon  and  discussed  publicly  and 
privately,  on  all  sides,  kindled  their  hearts  anew.  Bead- 
ing his  meaning  wrongly,  they  regarded  the  letter  as  a 

1  Mark  xiii.  32. 

2  Matt.  xxiv.  42-44  ;  Luke  xii.  39,  40  ;  1  Thess.  v.  2. 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY,—  CORINTH.        175 

further  fore-glimpse  into  the  future,  a  new  prediction 
(so  to  say)  of  the  speedy  end  of  time.  Some,  in  support 
of  their  fantasies,  appealed  to  personal  revelations,  others 
circulated  certain  forged  letters  as  coming  from  the  Apos- 
tle ;  ^  but  the  most  serious  aspect  of  the  situation  lay  in 
the  fact  that  very  many  laboring  men  in  the  community 
seized  these  sombre  presages  as  a  pretext  for  confirming 
themselves  boldly  in  the  state  of  indolence  which  Paul 
had  so  vigorously  combated.  Now  openly  asserting  that 
henceforth  all  toil  and  care  for  the  future  were  superflu- 
ous, they  abandoned  their  trades  and  spent  their  days  in 
dreaming  of  the  great  event  and  spying  out  the  appointed 
signs.2  It  was  indeed  all  over  with  the  Church  of  Thes- 
salonica  if  the  contagion  should  spread  and  idleness  trans- 
form this  active  community  into  a  sect  of  Illuminati, 
without  either  work  or  daily  bread,  living  only  on  the 
alms  of  their  brethren. 

Paul,  when  informed  of  the  deplorable  conclusions 
some  were  bent  on  drawing  from  his  letter,  at  once  took 
up  his  pen  to  reprimand  these  dreamers  and  remind 
them  that  action  is  the  first  duty  of  all  Christian  life. 

"  We  understand,"  he  tells  them,  "  that  there  are  among 
you  certain  mischief-makers  who  cease  working  and  meddle 
with  what  does  not  concern  them.  We  charge  these  per- 
sons, and  we  exhort  them  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  eat 
their  own  bread  while  working  peaceably."  ^ 

Finally,  in  order  to  recall  these  wandering  ones  to  the 
right  road,  the  Apostle  had  only  to  remind  them  of  the 
instructions  and  examples  he  had  given  them  during  his 
sojourn  at  Thessalonica  ;  for  from  the  first,  detecting  a  ten- 
dency to  idleness  in  this  society  of  toiling  artisans,  he  had 
taken  good  care  "  not  to  be  fed  by  any  man's  bounty,  but 
in  toil  and  labor  to  work  day  and  night,  that  so  he  might 
not  be  burdensome  to  any  one."^  Not  indeed  that  he 
was  unmindful  of  his  right  to  live  by  the  Gospel,  but  that 
he  might  serve  as  a  model  for  his  fellow  workmen,  and 

1  2  Thess.  ii.  2.  3  2  Thess.  iii.  11,  12, 

2  2  Thess.  iii.  6-12.  *  Ibid.,  7,  8. 


176  SAINT  PAUL. 

lend  additional  weight  to  the  saying  which  he  so  often 
reiterated,  "  If  any  man  will  not  work,  neither  let  him 
eat."  ^  Were  these  recollections  and  exhortations  suffi- 
cient to  stay  the  evil  ?  Paul  was  doubtful  of  this,  and 
accordingly,  in  case  of  further  resistance,  he  prescribed 
a  severe  remedy.  Excommunication,  of  which  we  have 
here  the  first  instance  in  the  early  Church  :  "  If  any  man 
does  not  obey  that  which  we  here  command,  mark  that 
man  and  have  no  dealings  with  him."  ^  Howbeit,  fear- 
ing lest  some  should  wield  this  weapon  of  chastisement 
too  harshly,  he  made  haste  to  add,  "  Yet  count  him  not 
as  an  enemy,  but  admonish  him  as  a  brother."  ^ 

Nor  did  Paul  stop  here  ;  he  proceeded  to  add  further 
instructions  to  those  he  had  already  given  concerning  the 
end  of  time,  and  dwelt  on  the  lessons  they  contained,  at 
once  so  terrible  and  yet  so  reassuring.  The  groundwork 
of  all  he,  as  well  as  the  other  Apostles,  taught  on  this 
subject,  was  the  outline  which  Jesus  had  drawn  of  the 
last  days  of  the  Universe.  This  awful  painting  of  future 
things  has  been  studied  in  its  proper  place  in  my  Life  of 
the  Saviour  ;  *  but  it  is  necessary  to  draw  a  rapid  sketch 
of  it  here  and  now,  in  order  to  show  how  much  of  pre- 
cision Paul  added  to  this  portion  of  the  Evangelical  Dis- 
courses. It  will  be  evident  to  the  reader,  remembering 
what  has  been  said  on  this  subject,  that  the  end  of  the 
world  and  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  events  so  similar 
in  their  surrounding  circumstances,  are  both  embodied  in 
the  prophetic  predictions  of  the  Lord.  In  Saint  Mat- 
thew as  well  as  in  Saint  Mark  the  details  of  the  two  facts 
are  so  intermingled  that  it  is  difficult  to  distinguish  one 
from  the  other.  Paul,  on  the  contrary,  took  care  to  set 
forth  the  main  lines  after  the  manner  and  order  indi- 
cated by  the  Master.  Hence,  in  the  Gospel  wherein 
Saint  Luke  has  collected  the  Apostle's  preaching  of  the 
Glad  Tidings,  we  have  a  plainer  design  of  the  two  catas- 
trophes. In  delineating  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
and  the  Temple,  he  represents  the  scene  as  preceded  by 

1  2  Thess.  iii.  9,  10.  2  ibid.,  U.  3  ibid.,  15. 

4  The  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  Bk.  VI.  Chap.  IIL 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY,—  CORINTH.        177 

numerous  signs  :  the  Church  prosecuted  before  syna- 
gogues and  magistrates,  wars  disturbing  the  whole  Em- 
pire, earthquakes,  pestilence  and  famine,  prodigies  ap- 
pearing in  the  sky,  a  Gentile  army  encircling  the  Holy 
City,  massacring  its  inhabitants,  and  trampling  it  under 
foot  "  until  the  times  of  the  Nations  be  fulfilled."  ^  In 
his  delineation  of  the  second  scene,  —  the  end  of  the 
world,  —  he  depicts  it  as  accompanied  by  still  more  ter- 
rifying tokens,  it  is  true,  but  as  coming  suddenly  upon 
mankind,  all  together  and  at  once,  like  the  snarer's  net.^ 

How  long  was  this  "  Time  of  the  Gentiles,"  ^  which 
separated  the  two  catastrophes,  to  last  ?  Would  the 
"  Gospel  be  declared  unto  all  Nations  "  ^  within  a  few 
years,  or  was  the  later  period  from  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem  to  that  of  the  whole  world  to  embrace  many 
centuries  ?  This  question  neither  Paul  nor  any  of  his 
brethren  among  the  Apostles,  could  answer.  Accord- 
ingly he  confined  himself  to  the  oft-repeated  reminder 
that  though  the  second  event  would  occur  with  the  sud- 
denness of  a  lightning  flash,  the  first,  on  the  contrary,  was 
to  be  preceded  by  definite  signs  for  its  forerunners,  — 
signs  which  as  yet  had  not  appeared.  Two  of  these 
prognostics  in  particular  are  signalized  in  this  second 
letter  to  the  Thessalonians,  namely.  Apostasy  and  the 
appearance  of  a  "  Man  of  Sin,"  the  profaner  of  God's 
Temple.^ 

The  Apostasy  manifested  itself  in  the  forsaking  of  the 
Faith,  —  that  Gnostic  heresy,  which  was  soon  to  devas- 
tate the  Church.  None  of  the  persecutions  foretold  by 
their  Master  had  any  further  power  to  affright  His  Apos- 
tles, but  this  corruption  of  men's  souls  had  not  declared 
itself  as  yet  ;  the  cockle-seed  sown  by  Simon  the  Magi- 
cian was  sprouting  but  slowly,  here  and  there,  in  dark 
out  of  the  way  corners. 

As  for  "  the  Man  of  Sin,"  although  the  Lord  had  not 
uttered  his  name  in  the  Gospel,  He  had  declared  to  His 

1  Luke  xxi.  8-24.  3  Kaipol  èOwxv.     Luke  xxi.  24. 

2  Luke  xxi.  25-36.  ^  Mark  xiii.  10. 
5  2  Thess.  ii.  3, 4. 

12 


178  SAINT  PAUL. 

disciples  that  "  they  should  behold  in  the  Holy  Place 
that  abomination  of  desolation  predicted  by  the  Prophet 
Daniel."  ^  This  ancient  Oracle,  therefore,  had  not  had  its 
full  accomplishment  in  the  act  of  Antiochus,  who  laid 
waste  the  Sanctuary  of  Jerusalem  ;  still  other  profana- 
tions must  ensue  to  add  new  horrors  to  his  deed,  and  one 
of  them  was  to  befall  the  generation  then  living.  Who 
would  be  the  author  of  this  sacrilege  ?  This,  too,  Paul 
did  not  know  :  all  he  could  answer  was  that  this  mon- 
ster would  reveal  himself  as  a  man  of  sin,  who  should 
raise  himself  up  in  opposition  to  all  things  held  in  ven- 
eration, insomuch  that  he  would  take  his  seat  in  God's 
Holy  Temple,  giving  himself  out  for  God  ;  ^  that  he 
would  prove  himself  —  to  use  the  expression  which  the 
Church  was  soon  to  apply  to  him  —  the  Messiah  of 
Satan,  a  false  Christ,  —  Antichrist.^ 

Some  years  previously  the  disciples  had  believed  that 
they  had  witnessed  the  fulfilment  of  this  Prophecy. 
Caligula,  when  arrived  at  such  a  pitch  of  madness  that 
he  believed  he  was  destined  to  be  adored  by  all  mankind, 
proceeded  to  substitute  his  altars  in  the  place  of  other 
gods  in  all  places,  and  had  issued  orders  to  have  his 
image  set  up  in  the  Temple.  The  death  of  this  Imperial 
fool  prevented  the  consummation  of  the  sacrilege,  but 
it  left  one  lasting  impression  in  Israel,  —  that  the  abom- 
ination predicted  by  Christ  was  to  be  the  work  of  one  of  the 
Caesars  deified  by  Rome.  From  Claudius,  who  was  reign- 
ing just  at  this  time,  no  one  feared  anything  very  serious  ; 
this  weak-spirited,  timid,  and  irresolute  prince  was  end- 
ing his  days  in  the  society  of  the  women  and  freedmen 
who  guided  his  conduct,  —  altogether  quite  as  incapable 
of  great  crimes  as  of  great  deeds.  Only  one  foreign 
worship  had  had  to  suffer  harsh  treatment  during  his 
reign,  that  of  the  Druids  ;  but  this  was  for  reasons  of 
an  entirely  political  nature.  Everywhere  else  the  gods 
of  the  conquered  Provinces  were  respected.  "  It  is  only 
just,"  Claudius  once  wrote  to  the  Jews,  "  that  each  man 

1  Matt.  xxiv.  15.  ^2  Thess.  ii.  4. 

3  1  John  ii.  18,  22  ;  iv.  3 :  2  John  i.  7. 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY.  — CORINTH.        179 

should  be  allowed  to  live  according  to  the  religion  of  his 
native  land."  ^  But  this  reign  was  drawing  to  its  close. 
Agrippiua,  mistress  of  the  Emperor  and  the  Empire,  had 
already  made  one  attempt  at  murder.  There  was  a  gen- 
eral presentiment  that  the  hour  when  Claudius  would 
yield  place  to  Nero  was  not  far  distant.  Did  Paul  fore- 
see, in  prophetic  vision,  what  was  to  be  the  life  of  the  new 
Csesar  ?  There  is  nothing  to  denote  this  in  anything 
that  he  says  of  "  the  Man  of  Sin,"  and  no  one  feature 
corresponds  in  any  special  sense  to  the  crimes  which 
illustrated  the  reign  of  Claudius's  successor.  Apparently 
all  that  the  Apostle  knew  beforehand  was  that  he  would 
be  a  monster  of  impiety,  an  enemy  of  the  Christian 
name,  and  that  from  his  lips  was  to  issue  the  command 
to  besiege  and  destroy  Jerusalem  :  and  these  were  the 
marks  of  Antichrist.  How  far  would  Nero  realize  the 
description  of  that  personage  ?  Or  was  he  to  be  only 
the  precursor  ?  Knowing  that  it  was  impossible  for  him 
to  say  anything  certain  on  this  subject,  Paul  was  con- 
tent to  remind  the  Thessalonians  of  what  had  heretofore 
been  revealed  to  him  concerning  the  last  onslaughts  of 
Satan,  —  concerning  that  sacrilegious  mortal  in  whose 
person  all  the  power  and  seductiveness  of  sin  would  be 
embodied  at  the  end  of  time. 

''We  exhort  you,  brethren,  so  far  as  concerns  the  appear- 
ing of  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  our  gathering  together  to 
meet  Him,  not  to  be  too  easily  unsettled  in  your  thoughts, 
nor  let  yourselves  be  terrified  either  by  manifestations  of 
the  Spirit,  or  by  words,  or  by  letters  attributed  to  me,  fore- 
telling that  the  Day  of  the  Lord  is  nigh.  Let  no  one  mis- 
lead you  in  any  way  ;  for  that  Day  shall  not  come  to  pass 
until  the  Apostasy  shall  have  first  appeared,  nor  until  men 
have  beheld  the  Man  of  Sin  made  manifest,  —  the  son  of 
perdition,  the  enemy  who  exalts  himself  above  all  that  is 
called  God  or  that  is  worshipped,  even  to  seating  himself  in 
the  Temple  of  God,  and  showing  himself  as  if  he  were  God. 
Do  you  not  remember  that  when  I  was  still  with  you  I  often 
told  you  of  these  things  ?     And  now  you  know  well  what 

1  Josephus,  Anflq.  Jud.,  xx.  i.  2, 


180  SAINT  PAUL. 

hinders  him  from  revealing  himself.  The  mystery  of  wick- 
edness is  preparing  itself/  but  only  until  what  time  he  who 
now  stands  as  an  obstacle  shall  disappear.  Then  shall  be 
made  evident  the  impious  one,  whom  the  Lord  Jesus  shall 
consume  with  the  breath  of  His  mouth,  and  shall  annihi- 
late with  the  brightness  of  His  Presence.  Concerning  the 
coming  of  that  impious  one,  it  shall  be,  through  the  power 
of  Satan,  accompanied  by  all  manner  of  miracles,  signs, 
lying  wonders,  and  all  the  seductions  which  lead  into  wick- 
edness for  them  that  perish,  because  they  received  not  the 
love  of  the  truth,  whereby  they  might  be  saved.  For  this 
cause  God  sendeth  them  a  worker  of  delusion,  so  mighty 
that  they  will  believe  in  the  falsehood,  that  thus  all  may 
fall  under  His  condemnation  who  shall  not  have  believed 
in  the  Truth,  and  shall  have  taken  pleasure  in  unrighteous- 
ness/' ^ 

This  page  has  ever  remained  one  of  the  most  mysterious 
passages  in  the  Scriptures  ;  for  not  only  is  the  Apostle 
declaring  his  own  uncertainty  as  to  the  end  of  time,  he 
is,  moreover,  and  of  set  purpose,  writing  obscurely  ;  in- 
deed, he  merely  alludes  in  veiled  language  to  what  he  had 
spoken  of  plainly  in  Macedonia.  There  seems  to  be  no 
other  possible  motive  for  this  guardedness  beyond  the 
fear  that,  should  the  letter  fall  into  infidel  hands,  it  might 
draw  down  upon  the  Church  a  renewal  of  persecutions, 
not  on  the  part  of  the  Jews,  whom  the  Apostle  always 
faced  boldly,  but  from  the  magistrates  of  the  Empire, 
hitherto  so  tolerant  that  he  was  loath  to  do  anything  to 
anger  them  needlessly.  It  would  seem  that  in  the  course 
of  his  conversations  at  Thessalonica  Paul  had  described 
Eome  and  its  deified  Csesars  as  the  main  source  of  danger 
for  the  Church.  Such  Eevelations,  if  discovered  in  one 
of  his  letters,  would  have  been  construed  as  seditious 
language  by  the  Eoman  Governors,  and  would  have 
armed  them  with  a  powerful  weapon  against  the  Chris- 
tians. Thus,  to  avoid  this  manifest  peril,  the  Apostle 
makes  use  of  only  the  most  mystical  terms.     The  Church 

1  Tb  fiva-T^piov  ijSr}  ivepyeîraL  rrjs  àvo/xias.  Nepûva  ivravda  <P't)<riv,  says 
S.  John  Chrysostom. 

2  2  Thess.  ii.  1-11. 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY.^  CORINTH.        181 

of  those  times  was  being  bred  and  nourished  to  the  use 
of  that  discipline  of  secrecy  which  was  destined  to  be  its 
safeguard  indeed  during  the  age  of  persecutions,  yet,  since 
it  keeps  so  much  of  the  inner  workings  of  the  Christian 
life  and  doctrines  concealed,  this  cautious  policy  leaves 
us  of  to-day,  almost  as  much  as  it  did  those  foes  of  old,  in 
the  dark  as  to  many  points  in  the  history  of  the  origin 
of  early  Christian  doctrine  and  worship.  "  Brethren," 
says  the  Apostle  in  the  course  of  this  letter,  "  pray  for  us 
that  we  may  be  delivered  from  ungovernable  and  wicked 
spirits."  1  By  this  he  referred  to  the  Jews  of  Corinth, 
and  he  does  not  hesitate  to  scourge  their  hatred  of  the 
Gospel.  In  his  former  letter  he  had  branded  them  with 
a  still  deeper  infamy  :  "  They  have  killed  the  Lord  Jesus 
and  the  Prophets,  and  driven  us  away  by  persecution; 
they  are  displeasing  to  God  and  the  foes  of  mankind  ; 
they  hinder  us  from  preaching  unto  the  Gentiles  the 
Word  whereby  they  must  be  saved,  thus  filling  up  the 
measure  of  their  sins.  The  wrath  of  God  is  upon  them, 
and  there  it  shall  remain  unto  the  end."^  When  Seneca 
calls  Israel  a  villanous  race,  and  Tacitus  reproaches  the 
Jews  as  being  haters  of  all  human  kind,^  these  historians 
are  using  no  stronger  expressions  than  the  Apostle  makes 
use  of  here. 

Such  outbursts  of  indignation  give  us  some  idea  of  the 
extent  of  the  persecutions  which  were  directed  against 
Paul  at  the  time  he  was  dictating  these  letters.*  For  a 
year  and  a  half  they  continued  as  implacable  and  inces- 
sant as  at  first,  but  without  recurring,  however,  to  that 
last  resort  of  appealing  to  Roman  authority,  as  happened 
elsewhere.  The  judicial  power  at  Corinth  was  in  the 
hands  of  a  Proconsul,  who  administered  the  Roman  Prov- 

1  2  Thess.  iii.  2. 

2  1  Thess.  ii.  15,  16. 

^  Seneca,  as  quoted  by  S.  Augustine  in  De  Civitate  Z)et,  vii.36;  Tacitus, 
Historiée,  v,  2-5. 

*  These  two  letters  were  written  at  Corinth  toward  the  end  of  the 
Apostle's  two  years'  stay  there.  The  fact  that  Silas  was  with  him  (1  Thess. 
i.  1  ;  2  Thess.  i.  1),  and  was  not  with  Paul  after  this  sojourn  in  Achaia, 
taken  together  with  the  various  passages  in  the  Epistles,  when  compared 
with  the  Acts,  leaves  no  doubt  as  to  this  date. 


182  SAINT  PAUL. 

ince  of  Achaia.^  The  Jews  were  well  aware  that  the 
magistrate  now  holding  this  post  was  either  too  equitable 
or  too  hostile  to  their  race  to  hope  of  circumventing  him. 
They  dared  not  attempt  anything  under  his  administra- 
tion, but  their  first  thought,  on  his  departure  from  office, 
was  to  sound  his  successor. 

The  new  Proconsul,  Marcus  Annseus  Novatus,  was  born 
of  a  family  illustrious  in  literature.  Brother  of  Seneca 
and  uncle  of  Lucan,  he  had  been  adopted  by  the  rhetori- 
cian, Junius  Gallio,  whose  name  he  took.  He  was  looked 
upon  as  one  of  the  most  distinguished  minds  of  the  age.^ 
While  equally  proficient  in  literature  and  the  natural 
sciences,^  he  was  much  beloved  for  his  noble  soul  and 
finished  courtesy  in  the  literary  circle  of  the  Senecas,* 
where  he  got  his  name  of  "the  gentle  Gallio."^  With 
such  a  reputation,  the  Jews  deemed  it  would  be  an  easy 
matter  to  get  the  upper  hand  of  him,  hoping  that,  either 
from  inexperience  in  such  affairs,  or  out  of  pure  love  of 
peace,  or  in  order  to  conciliate  a  powerful  faction,  the  new 
incumbent  would  allow  them  to  judge  one  of  their  own 
people  in  their  own  way,  and  thus  abandon  him  to  their 
vengeance. 

Filled  with  these  pleasant  expectations,  they  grew  so 
bold  as  to  resort  to  violence,  seized  Paul,  and  dragged 
him  before  the  tribunal.  Sosthenes,  the  head  man  of  the 
synagogue,  led  the  mob  in  person.  "  This  fellow,"  they 
cried,  "is  persuading  other  men  to  serve  God  contrary 
to  the  Law  !  "  Jewish  fanaticism  is  strikingly  exempli- 
fied   by  this    malevolent    denunciation,  not  stopping  at 

1  In  the  Augustan  Age,  Achaia  (which  in  extent  corresponded  very 
nearly  to  that  of  modern  Greece)  was  a  dependency  of  the  Senate,  and  was 
governed  by  the  Proconsuls  (Dio  Cassius,  Ix.  24).  It  came  under  the 
Emperor's  authority  during  the  reign  of  Tiberius,  and  was  then  adminis- 
tered by  Propraetors  (Tacitus,  Annales,  i.  76).  Under  Claudius  it  was  re- 
stored to  the  Senate,  and  again  became  a  Proconsular  Province  (Suetonius, 
Claudius,  25). 

2  Seneca,  Ep.  civ.;  Consol.  ad  Helviam,  16;  Quœst.  Natur.,  iv.  praef. 
Tacitus,  Annales,  vi.  3;  xv.  73;  xvi.  17.  Dio  Cassius,  Ix.  35;  Ixi.  20,  etc. 
His  brother  dedicated  his  works  De  Ira  and  De  Vita  Beata  to  him. 

^  Seneca,  Quœst.  Natur.,  y.  11. 

4  Ibid.,  iv,  praef. 

^  Statius,  Sylv.,  ii.  7. 


SECOND  MISSION  JOURNEY.— CORINTH.        183 

publicly  rebuking  the  dissenter  from  their  doctrine,  but 
bent  on  stripping  him  of  all  the  privileges  and  protec- 
tions enjoyed  by  Israel,  and  thus  putting  him  outside 
the  pale  of  the  law. 

Men  held  but  a  poor  opinion  of  the  Jews  in  the  soci- 
ety in  which  the  Senecas  moved  ;  the  general  estimation 
of  them  was  that  they  were  as  blind  as  they  were  pas- 
sionate in  their  religious  strifes,  and  capable  of  any 
crafty  schemes,  any  deed  of  darkness,  to  compass  their 
ends.  Gallio  stopped  Paul  as  he  was  opening  his  lips 
to  begin  his  defence. 

''If  this  were  a  question,"  he  said,  "of  some  act  of 
injustice,  or  of  some  notable  crime,  I  should  hear  it  as 
is  befitting  ;  but  if  it  is  a  mere  matter  of  doctrinal  dis- 
putes, quarrels  about  words  and  about  your  Law,  you 
must  settle  it  peaceably  among  yourselves  ;  for  my  part, 
I  will  not  be  judge  in  business  of  this  kind." 

The  Jews  had  not  anticipated  this  flat  refusal  of  a 
trial;  they  had  counted  rather  securely  on  holding  a 
long  discussion  before  another  Pilate,  but  instead  they 
met  a  magistrate  of  simple  integrity,  —  firm  enough,  de- 
spite his  amiable  appearance,  —  a  man  who  could  detect 
their  schemes  at  a  glance,  and  dismiss  them  with  only 
a  faint  'smile,  to  show  them  he  understood  !  Utterly 
taken  aback,  and  unable  to  bow  beneath  this  humiliat- 
ing failure  of  their  plots,  they  persisted  in  besieging  the 
tribunal.  Gallio  gave  command  to  have  them  turned 
out.  This  order  was  the  signal  for  a  great  tumult.  At 
Corinth,  as  elsewhere,  the  Israelites  were  detested  by  the 
people  at  large,  and  hence  had  hardly  any  hope  of  pro- 
tection outside  of  the  Koman  power.  The  crowd  which 
surrounded  the  Praetorium,  seeing  the  lictors  proceed  to 
expel  the  Jews,  fell  upon  Sosthenes,  the  chief  of  the 
synagogue,  and,  within  the  very  precincts  of  the  high 
court  of  justice,  loaded  him  with  blows  and  abuse. 
Gallio  let  it  pass  :  "  he  feigned  not  to  notice  it,"  says  an 
ancient  gloss,  merely  bidding  them  clear  the  court  of 
this  rabble.  1 

1  "  Tunc  Gallio  fingebat  enira  non  videre."    Latin  text  of  Beza's  Codex. 


184  SAINT  PAUL. 

Once  fairly  beaten,  the  Jew  drops  his  arrogance  and 
is  all  submissiveness  ;  with  no  taste  for  further  enter- 
prises of  this  description  for  some  time  to  come,  the  Isra- 
elites of  Corinth  kept  their  feelings  under  strict  control. 
Paul  profited  by  this  state  of  affairs,  and  remained  for 
some  time  in  the  central  part  of  Achaia,  reaping  greater 
fruits  from  his  labors  than  ever  before  ;  everything  at 
this  juncture  was  seconding  his  zealous  efforts,  since,  on 
the  one  hand,  he  was  assured  of  being  treated  with  per- 
fect tolerance  by  the  Proconsul,  while,  on  the  other,  the 
bright  light  cast  on  the  little  community  by  recent 
events  was  attracting  to  them  all  such  as  had  hitherto 
been  held  back  by  dislike  of  the  Jews. 


CHAPTEE  VIII. 

DAILY  LIFE   AND   WOKSHIP  IN  THE   PRIMITIVE   CHUECHES. 

The  Church,  as  we  have  followed  the  course  of  its  his- 
tory during  these  earliest  years,  has  been  existing  under 
certain  forms  which  could  not  last  for  any  protracted 
period.  Within  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  its  members  led 
a  life  much  like  that  of  a  religious  Order  ;  holding  prop- 
erty in  common,  occupied  in  almost  incessant  prayer,  while 
every  evening  came  the  Agape,  ending  always  in  the 
Mystic  Sacrifice,  wherein  the  Bread  of  Life  was  broken 
and  distributed  among  the  faithful.  The  perfection  of 
Mosaism,  that  dream  which  the  Essenes  were  pursuing 
in  the  wilderness,  was  realized  at  last  here  in  the  Holy 
City  by  the  first  Christians.  Noting  the  favor  with 
which  they  were  regarded  by  the  Pharisees,  we  cannot 
help  inferring  that  the  Apostles  and  disciples  of  that  day 
bore  the  yoke  of  the  Law,  as  well  as  the  superstructure 
of  "  Observances  "  which  the  Saviour  had  declared  to  be 
"crushing  and  insupportable."  ^  Then  came  the  sudden 
access  of  new  believers,  who  could  not  be  held  within 
these  narrow  bounds  ;  for  such  restrictions,  devised  for  a 
people  who  could  only  be  retained  in  the  right  way  by 
motives  of  fear,  were  unworthy  of  souls  set  free  by  Jesus. 
The  uselessness  of  all  these  practices  became  ever  more 
apparent,  in  proportion  as  the  Church,  sweeping  beyond 
the  boundaries  of  Judea,  began  to  spread  over  the  world. 
Thus  under  the  guidance  of  Peter,  moved  thereto  by  the 
Vision  at  Joppa,  but  especially  under  that  of  Paul,  who 
was  so  specially  consecrated  to  the  Apostleship  of  the 
Nations,   the   outward   aspect    of    many   things   in   the 

1  Matt,  xxiii.  4. 


186  SAINT  PAUL. 

Church  has  been  considerably  modified  during  the  quar- 
ter of  a  century  whose  history  we  have  been  studying. 

Certain  new  features,  as  they  came  up  in  the  course  of 
the  Inspired  Narrative,  have  hinted  at  these  changes;  but 
it  seems  high  time  to  endeavor  to  group  them  together 
as  a  whole,  since,  to  help  us  to  complete  the  picture, 
we  are  now  in  possession  of  the  details  given  us  by 
Saint  Paul  concerning  the  organization  of  the  Corinthian 
Church,  while  to  these  we  can  add  other  vestiges  of  the 
same  age  collected  by  later  writers.  Among  the  latter 
the  most  important  testimony  is  contained  in  a  few 
leaves  of  a  Greek  manuscript  recently  discovered,  and 
entitled  The  Teaching  of  the  Apostles.^  This  opuscule, 
the  earliest  Christian  book  we  possess  outside  of  the 
inspired  pages,^  was  composed,  some  say,  about  the  time 
Saint  Paul  was  writing  to  the  Corinthians,  but,  according 
to  a  more  likely  opinion,  toward  the  close  of  the  first  cen- 
tury (from  80  to  100).^  It  brings  before  us  the  picture 
of  some  Church  in  Syria  or  in  Palestine,^  depicting  its 
private  life,  public  teaching,  religious  services  and  prac- 
tices. In  these  distant  and  secluded  regions,  where  the 
influence  of  Judaism  still  prevailed,  changes  were  fewer 
and  more  gradual  than  in  the  other  Provinces  of  the 
Empire.  So  far  as  we  can  judge  from  appearances, 
the  Christian  congregations  so  circumstanced  had  altered 
hardly  at  all  at  the  end  of  thirty  years,  and  accordingly 
in  The  Teaching  of  the  Apostles  we  see  them  as  they 
lived  and  acted  under  the  rule  of  the  Apostles  and  Saint 
James.  The  Hierarchy,  it  is  true,  was  even  then  an 
established  institution  ;  Bishops  and  Deacons  are  spoken 
of  as  being  held  in  the  same  honor  as  were  Doctors  and 
Prophets  ;  the  latter,  however,  still  enjoy  their  primitive 

1  This  priceless  MS.  was  found  in  1873,  in  a  library  at  Constantinople, 
by  the  Metropolitan  Philotheus  Bryennius. 

^  The  Epistle  of  Barnabas,  which  used  to  be  regarded  with  good  reason 
as  the  oldest  document  come  down  to  us  from  the  Apostolic  Fathers,  is, 
however,  antedated  by  the  Doctrina,  for  the  Epistle  quotes  passages  from 
the  latter. 

^  See  Von  Funk,  Doctrina  XII  Apostolorum,  Prolegomena,  xxxi. 

^  Von  Funk,  Doctrina,  Proleg.,  xxxviii. 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  PRIMITIVE   CHURCHES.      187 

prerogatives,  while  the  Divine  Spirit  speaks  by  their 
mouths,  as  in  the  days  when  Saint  Paul  was  founding 
the  Church  of  Corinth. 

The  sensible  presence  of  this  Spirit  in  every  Christian 
community  was  the  distinctive  note  of  the  epoch  before 
us,  which  extends  from  the  dispersion  of  the  Apostles  to 
the  last  years  of  Saint  Peter  and  Saint  Paul.  The  Para- 
clete promised  by  Jesus  manifested  His  power  in  every 
religious  gathering  by  all  manner  of  marvels,  —  Proph- 
ecies, the  Gift  of  Tongues,  wondrous  cures.  These  super- 
natural graces  were  poured  out,  not  on  extraordinary 
occasions,  but  daily  and  continuously,  and  were  allotted 
to  the  majority  of  believers,  if  not  to  all.  This  was 
the  literal  fulfilment  of  that  promise  of  the  Saviour  : 
"And  behold  the  signs  which  shall  accompany  them  that 
shall  believe  !  In  My  Name  they  shall  cast  out  devils  ; 
they  shall  speak  new  tongues  ;  they  shall  take  up  ser- 
pents, and  they  shall  drink  poisons  and  shall  not  suffer 
harm  ;  they  shall  lay  their  hands  upon  the  sick,  and 
the  sick  shall  be  cured."  ^  Another  gift  of  greater  im- 
portance to  the  salvation  of  souls  had  been  foretold 
them,  —  "  the  Spirit  of  the  Father  speaking  within 
them."  2  "  I  will  pray  to  the  Father,  and  He  will  give 
you  another  Comforter,  that  He  may  abide  with  you 
forever,  the  Spirit  of  Truth,  Whom  the  world  cannot 
receive,  because  it  seeth  Him  not,  neither  knoweth  Him  ; 
but  you  know  Him,  because  He  abideth  with  you  and 
shall  be  within  you.  .  .  .  He  shall  lead  you  unto  the 
fulness  of  the  truth,  and  shall  declare  unto  you  the 
things  to  come."  ^ 

The  peculiar  effect  of  the  latter  promise  declared  itself 
in  a  superabundance  of  spiritual  light  vouchsafed  to 
every  Church,  and  thus  making  them  regard  as  a  com- 
mon occurrence  those  phenomena  which,  with  us,  are 
only  to  be  found  as  exceptional  events  in  the  lives  of 
the  Saints.  Such  were  their  sudden  illuminations  from 
on  High,  ecstasies,  inspirations,  the  discernment  of  spir- 

i  Mark  xvi.  17,  18.  2  Matt.  x.  20. 

3  John  xiv.  16,  17,  26;  xvi.  13. 


188  SAINT  PAUL, 

its,  a  gift  of  foreseeing  future  happenings,  and  the  ability 
to  read  the  human  heart.  Frequent  though  they  were, 
these  states  were  never  without  a  clearly  supernatural 
character  ;  the  inspired  persons  could  not  rise  to  them 
at  will,  but  only  when  the  Spirit  of  God,  taking  posses- 
sion of  them,  caused  them  to  speak  and  act  according  to 
His  will.i  The  sole  privilege  common  to  all  Christians 
of  that  day  consisted  in  an  intuitive  perception  of  the 
truth  far  superior  to  anything  known  in  after  ages,  to- 
gether with  a  facility  in  expounding  and  communicating 
these  truths  which  transcended  man's  ordinary  powers. 
Every  believer,  man  or  woman,  slave  or  free,  when  illu- 
minated by  this  Heavenly  light,  found  therein  full  testi- 
mony to  the  truth  of  his  Faith  ;  dwelling  as  he  did  in  a 
Heathen  society,  where  all  things  were  languishing  and 
dying,  the  true  Christian  realized,  in  the  literal  sense 
of  the  words,  what  it  meant  to  be  "  living  among  the 
dead."  2 

Any  fixed  regulations  concerning  the  various  states  of 
life,  with  an  exact  subordination  to  constituted  powers 
and  authorities,  were  hardly  to  be  thought  of  in  these 
Christian  communities  so  long  as  these  gifts  overflowed 
on  every  hand  in  such  abundance.  For  indeed  the 
Spirit,  "blowing  whither  He  listeth,"  communicated  to 
all,  without  distinction,  the  graces  of  teaching,  counsel, 
and  direction  ;  hence  we  see  so  many  religious  gatherings 
wherein  any  one  of  the  members  might,  by  a  sudden 
inspiration  from  above,  be  moved  to  take  the  foremost 
position,  and  perform  doctrinal  and  liturgical  func- 
tions which  in  our  day  are  reserved  to  pastors  of  the 
Church.  'The  powers  inherent  in  Holy  Orders,  it  is  true, 
such  as  the  Breaking  of  Bread  and  the  laying  on  of 
hands,  were  always  the  exclusive  prerogatives  of  the 
priestly  "  College  "  which  the  Apostles  established  in 
every  Christian  society  ;  no  doubt,  too,  these  "  Elders  " 
presided  during  divine  service,  but  without  assuming  the 
absolute  headship,  and  allowing  the  faithful  as  large  a 
latitude  as  the  Spirit  willed.     Saint  Paul,  whom  we  shall 

1  1  Cor.  xii.  11  ;  Ephes.  iv.  5.  ^  Rom.  vi.  13. 


WORSHIP  IN   THE  PRIMITIVE   CHURCHES.     189 

see  some  ten  years  later  busily  engaged  in  the  ordering 
of  the  Hierarchy,  has  no  other  object  at  the  moment  save 
his  anxiety  to  curb  and  direct  the  stream  of  Grace  which 
is  overflowing  all  bounds,  —  longing  to  devise  some  order 
amid  the  outpouring  of  these  gifts,  and  to  note  particu- 
larly such  as  were  most  conducive  to  the  general  good. 

No  task  could  be  more  difficult  than  this  attempt  to 
grasp  and  examine  supernatural  workings,  which  are  as 
mysterious  as  the  Breath  Divine  whose  emanations  they 
are.  In  every  effort  at  such  a  classification,  Saint  Paul 
makes  same  variation  in  what  he  has  already  tried  to  set 
down,  —  more,  to  be  sure,  in  the  wording  than  in  the 
ideas  themselves,  for  in  his  several  enumerations  the 
comparative  values  he  puts  on  the  various  supernatural 
graces  scarcely  differ  at  all.  In  the  highest  rank  he 
places  such  gifts  as  are  altogether  spiritual  ;  —  "  the 
Apostleship"  reserved  to  the  Twelve;  the  duties  of 
"  Evangelists,"  exercised  by  the  missionaries  who  carried 
the  Good  News  from  land  to  land,  and,  like  the  Apostles, 
founded  new  Churches  ;  ^  the  ministry  of  the  "  Prophets 
and  Doctors,"  with  their  special  commission  to  teach  and 
comfort  men  ;  "  the  Word  of  Wisdom,"  whereby  the  di- 
vine truth  was  set  forth  with  learned  conclusions  and 
unanswerable  arguments  ;  "  the  Word  of  Understanding," 
or  intuition,  which  seized  upon  truth  through  pious  con- 
templations and  the  ecstasy  of  love  ;  "  Faith  "  mighty 
enough  to  move  mountains  ;  —  while  below  these  exalted 
favors  are  the  graces  of  "  Government,"  "  Discernment  of 
Spirits,"  "the  Gift  of  Tongues  and  the  interpretation 
thereof,"  that  of  "  Miracles  "  and  marvellous  "  healings."  ^ 

The  Apostle's  main  thought  was  to  preserve  order  and 
unitedness  at  the  meetings  where  the  Christians  made 
manifest  the  favors  apportioned  to  each  one  of  them. 

"  There  is  a  diversity  of  gifts,"  he  wrote,  "  but  there  is 
but  one  and  the  same  Spirit  ;  there  is  a  diversity  of  min- 
istries, but  only  the  one  same  Lord.  And  there  is  a  diver- 
sity of  operations,  but  the  same  God  worketh  all  things  in 

1  Eusebius,  Historia  Ecclesiastica,  iii.  37. 

2  1  Cor.  xii.  8-10,28;  Ephes.  iv.  11. 


190  SAINT  PAUL. 

all.  One  and  the  same  Spirit  alone  worketh  all  these 
things,  distributing  unto  each  His  gifts  as  to  Him  seemeth 
good.  For  just  as  the  body  is  one  and  has  many  members, 
and  as  all  members  of  the  body,  many  though  they  be, 
form  one  single  body,  so  is  it  in  the  Christ  ;  for  we  have 
all  been  baptized  in  the  same  Spirit  that  we  might  be 
but  one  and  the  same  Body,  whether  Jews  or  Gentiles, 
bond  or  free,  and  we  have  all  partaken  of  a  divine  drink 
that  we  might  be  in  the  one  same  Spirit.  For  the  body 
likewise  is  not  one  member  alone,  but  many.  .  .  .  Now 
you  are  the  Body  of  Christ,  each  one  a  separate  member. 
And  God  hath  established  in  His  Church,  first  Apostles, 
secondly  Prophets,  thirdly  Doctors,  thereafter  those  who 
have  the  power  of  working  miracles,  then  such  as  have  the 
grace  of  healing  the  sick,  those  who  possess  the  gift  of 
aiding  the  brethren,^  of  governing  them,  of  speaking  tongues 
and  interpreting  the  same.''  '^ 

When  expatiating  on  this  list  of  supernatural  graces 
the  Apostle  dwells  very  particularly  on  the  Prophetic 
Ministry  and  the  Gift  of  Tongues  :  on  the  former,  because 
he  saw  in  it  the  germ  of  the  definitive  government  of 
the  Church  ;  on  the  latter,  because  in  this  he  perceived 
lurking  dangers  and  wanted  to  forestall  them  at  any  cost. 

To  form  any  correct  notion  of  what  these  "  Prophets  " 
were,  of  whom  so  much  is  said  in  the  New  Testament, 
we  must  understand  by  this  name  —  and  it  had  no  other 
meaning  in  primitive  times  —  a  man  who  speaks  in  an- 
other's name,  especially  in  the  name  of  God,  and  declares 
his  wishes.^  At  Delphi  and  Dodona  the  inspired  sooth- 
sayers had  their  "  Prophets,"  who  interpreted  all  that 
was  obscure  in  their  oracular  utterances.  The  Seventy, 
when  casting  about  for  a  word  wherewith  to  translate 
Nahi,  —  the  "  Seer  "  of  the  Hebrews,  —  could  not  find  a 
better  synonym  in  the  Greek  than  "  Prophet,"  and  so 
adopted  it  in  their  Version  ;  whence  it  passed  into  the 

1  *\pTl\-n\f/is  is  succor  tendered  by  a  superior  to  an  inferior  ;  diuKovia 
is  the  service  rendered  by  an  inferior. 

2  1  Cor.  xii.  4-14,  27,  28. 

3  "  Prophetas  dicebant  veteres  antistites  fanomm,  oraculorumque  sive 
a  deo  sive  a  rate  acceptorum  interprètes."  Estienne,  Thesaurus  Grœcœ 
Linguce,  under  word  UpocpTiTrjs. 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  PRIMITIVE   CHURCHES.      191 

language  of  Saint  Paul  and  the  early  Christians  and 
with  them  preserved  the  same  signification  as  of  old. 
Now  it  is  well  known  that  these  Nahis  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment were  not  at  all  Prophets  in  our  ordinary  sense  of 
that  word,  but  were  rather  popular  preachers,  leaders 
commissioned  by  God  to  rebuke  kings  and  peoples  ;  un- 
veiling the  future  certainly,  when  it  was  revealed  to 
them,  but  not  so  much  intent,  however,  on  uttering  ora- 
cles as  they  were  bent  on  establishing  the  reign  of 
Eighteousness  in  Israel,  reforming  men's  morals,  nourish- 
ing and  purifying  the  worship  of  Jehovah. 

From  David  to  the  Captivity,  during  a  period  of  five 
centuries,  the  Prophets  never  ceased  repeating  these 
teachings  under  their  very  various  forms,  —  songs,  alle- 
gories, invectives,  anathemas,  and  the  language  of  action 
as  well  as  that  of  words.  They  were  hearkened  to,  and, 
thanks  to  them,  the  faith  in  the  one  only  God  and  a 
high  esteem  for  virtue  were  implanted  in  a  people  of  low 
natural  instincts  and  most  inclined  to  idolatry.  With 
the  death  of  Malachy  (about  420  b.  c),  a  seal  was  set  on 
the  book  of  the  divine  oracles,  and  for  more  than  four 
centuries  the  voice  of  the  Prophets  was  no  longer  heard 
in  the  land,  but  their  moral  work  was  established  and 
still  subsisted  ;  the  schools  of  the  Scribes  continued  the 
same  teachings  until  the  day  when  the  Spirit  of  Prophecy 
was  conferred  upon  the  new  born  Church  in  larger  abun- 
dance than  ever  before. 

The  duties  of  these  new  Prophets  did  not  differ  mate- 
rially from  those  of  the  ancient  Nahis.  The  principal 
part  of  their  functions  was  not  the  foretelling  of  the 
future  ;  it  was  to  speak  in  God's  Name,  "  to  build  up, 
exhort,  and  console  "  the  brethren,  to  judge  their  hearers, 
to  convince  them  and  lay  bare  the  secrets  of  their 
hearts  ;  ^  the  present,  far  more  than  the  future,  occupied 
their  minds,  and  through  their  efforts  the  Christian's 
path  was  illuminated  with  the  light  of  truth  :  such  in  its 
essential  features  was  the  Prophetic  Ministry.  Another 
privilege  of  a  much  more  mysterious  nature,  usually  ac- 

1  1  Cor.  xiv.  3,  24,  25. 


192  SAINT  PAUL. 

companied  this  mark  of  Heavenly  favor,  —  the  "  Gift  of 
Tongues,"  very  widely  known  in  Apostolic  times,  but 
since  then  so  completely  vanished  from  earth  ^  that  it  is 
difficult  to  say  with  any  certainty  what  it  consisted  in. 

This  wonder,  whereof  the  Saviour  had  told  them  ^  long 
since,  was  actually  accomplished  for  the  first  time  upon 
the  descent  of  the  Paraclete  in  the  Supper  Eoom  ;  there- 
after it  appeared  again  and  again,  not  at  every  baptism, 
but  generally  when  the  Apostles,  by  laying  their  hands 
upon  the  neophytes,  communicated  to  them  the  fulness 
of  God's  grace.  Sometimes,  as  at  Csesarea,  certain  chosen 
souls,  when  their  hearts  were  filled  to  overflowing  with 
pure  love,  felt  themselves  transformed  by  God  alone,  and 
empowered  by  the  Holy  Spirit  ;  whereupon,  without  the 
interposition  of  any  human  agency  to  touch  them  out- 
wardly, "  they  were  heard  speaking  tongues  and  magni- 
fying God  "  ;  ^  but  the  usual  order  of  its  occurrence  was 
that  which  the  Acts  notes  of  this  event,  which  took  place 
at  Ephesus  :  the  catechumens  are  first  baptized  in  the 
Name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  ;  thereupon  the  Apostles  lay 
their  hands  on  them  ;  then,  and  then  only,  "  the  Holy 
Ghost  coming  down  upon  them,  they  begin  to  speak  in 
tongues  and  to  prophesy."  ^  The  laying  on  of  hands, 
like  Confirmation,  of  which  it  is  the  primitive  form,  con- 
ferred the  perfection  of  the  supernatural  life  on  baptized 
souls,  and  from  this  fulness  of  Grace  proceeded  the  won- 
drous signs  peculiar  to  those  first  years  of  the  Church. 

The  astonishment  and  admiration  which  these  super- 
nal manifestations  caused  in  the  Pagan  bystanders  show 
plainly  enough  how  miraculous  they  were.  So  far  as  we 
can  judge,  they  must  have  consisted  in  an  ecstasy  wherein 

1  It  did  not  disappear,  however,  until  some  time  in  the  course  of  the 
second  century.  For  this  we  have  the  testimony  of  S.  Irenseus  :  "  We 
listen  to  many  brethren  in  the  Church  who  possess  the  Gift  of  Prophecy 
and  speak  all  varieties  of  tongues  in  the  Spirit."  Adv.  Hœres.,  vi.  6.  But 
this  is  the  last  mention  to  be  found  of  it.  S.  John  Chrysostom  states  that 
many  years  had  passed  since  there  had  been  any  manifestations  of  this 
gift,  and  that  hence  it  was  difficult  to  form  any  precise  notion  of  what  it 
once  was. 

2  "They  shall  speak  new  tongues."    Mark  xvi.  17. 

3  Acts  X.  46.  *  Acts  xix.  5,  6. 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  PRIMITIVE   CHURCHES.      193 

the  believers,  uplifted  by  the  Divine  Spirit,  expressed 
their  rapture  in  terms  which  were  not  those  of  their 
daily  speech.^  On  Whitsunday,  as  we  have  seen,  the 
Apostles  were  moved  to  speak  in  foreign  tongues,  which 
were  intelligible  to  every  one  in  the  audience;  and  we 
cannot  but  believe  that  they  must  often  have  enjoyed 
this  same  power  when  in  countries  of  whose  language 
they  knew  little  or  nothing.  But  the  Gift  of  Tongues, 
which  Saint  Paul  rated  below  all  other  divine  favors, 
differs  materially  from  this  privilege,  and  remains  to 
this  day  one  of  the  most  mysterious  facts  we  have  to  do 
with  in  studying  the  Apostolic  Age.  In  most  cases  the 
disciples  who  were  thus  favored  by  God  made  use  of 
expressions  that  no  one  comprehended;  oftentimes  they 
themselves  had  but  a  confused  perception  of  their  hidden 
meaning.  In  the  latter  case,  the  soul  was  absorbed  in 
prayer,  the  heart  realized  that  it  was  united  to  God  by 
sentiments  of  faith,  gratitude,  and  love,  but  the  mind 
was  unillumined,  even  unconscious,  to  a  greater  or  less 
degree,  of  its  own  workings.  Concerning  this  state, 
unaccountable  as  it  may  seem,  we  have  the  explicit  tes- 
timony of  Saint  Paul.  "  That  man,"  he  says,  "  who 
makes  use  of  a  tongue  [which  he  does  not  understand] 
prays  in  his  heart,  but  his  understanding  remains  with- 
out profit"  ;2  "he  speaks  not  to  men,  but  to  God"; 
"no  one  understands  him,  but  in  the  spirit  he  utters 
mysteries."  * 

None  had  a  better  right  than  the  Apostle  himself  to 
speak  of  these  operations  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  for  he  was 

1  "  The  state  of  those  who  spoke  under  the  influence  of  the  Gift  of 
Tongues  was  a  state  of  enthusiasm  and  ecstasy  which  interrupted  all 
reflection  and  discursive  thought.  They  testified  to  its  presence  by  an 
outburst  of  thanksgiving,  singing  songs,  and  praying  to  God  ;  they  Avere 
not  left  free  to  choose  any  language  which  they  might  prefer  to  make  the 
vehicle  of  their  feelings  ;  an  inner  force  obliged  them  to  speak  in  some 
tongue  which  might  chance  to  be  utterly  unknown  to  them.  They  were 
conscious  to  a  certain  extent  of  the  matter  of  their  discourses,  —  the  gen- 
eral scope  was  before  their  minds,  —  but  usually  they  experienced  great 
difficulty,  sometimes  an  absolute  powerlessness  indeed,  to  repeat  what 
they  had  said  in  their  own  vernacular."    Dœllinger. 

^  1  Cor.  xiv.  14. 

3  Ibid.,  2. 

13 


194  SAINT  PAUL. 

endowed  with  the  Gift  of  Tongues  beyond  all  men  ;  ^  and 

doubtless  it  was  in  an  outpouring  of  this  grace  that, 
"caught  up  even  to  the  Third  Heaven,  he  heard  un- 
speakable words,  which  it  is  not  lawful  for  man  to 
utter."  ^  So  too  with  Saint  John,  when  "  on  the  Lord's 
day  he  was  in  the  spirit  and  heard  a  great  voice."  ^ 
"  And  I  heard  a  voice  coming  from  Heaven,  like  a  voice 
of  many  waters,  and  as  a  voice  of  mighty  thunder  ;  and 
the  voice  that  I  heard  was  like  unto  harp-players  playing 
on  their  harps,  and  they  sang  a  new  Song  before  the 
Throne.  .  .  .  And  none  could  understand  the  Song,  save 
the  hundred  and  forty-four  thousand  who  have  been 
purchased  from  the  earth."* 

The  transports  to  which  the  first  believers  were  raised 
by  the  Gift  of  Tongues  certainly  bear  some  resemblance 
to  the  raptures  of  these  two  Apostles  ;  it  is  unquestion- 
able, in  fact,  that  the  inspired  subjects  were  at  such 
times  quite  beside  themselves,  for  the  spectators  at  these 
scenes  took  them  for  men  bereft  of  reason  or  under  the 
influence  of  wine.^  What  other  conclusion  can  we  draw 
from  these  indications,  unless  it  be  the  natural  inference 
that  their  state  must  have  been  similar  to  that  wherein 
ecstasy  sometimes  casts  saintly  souls  ?  For  in  our  times 
and  circumstances  the  Saints  alone  possess  that  pleni- 
tude of  the  Spirit  which  in  the  beginnings  of  the  Church 
was  poured  out  on  all  alike  ;  they  alone,  consequently, 
experience  its  extraordinary  effects,  which  then  were  of 
common  occurrence  at  Christian  gatherings.  In  order  to 
explain  the  most  mysterious  of  all  those  phenomena,  — 
that  in  which  the  soul  prays  and  sings  unto  the  Lord  God, 
though  in  the  mean  while  the  individual's  intelligence 
loses  control  over  the  spoken  words,  —  is  it  not  most 
reasonable  to  regard  them  as  simply  that  passive  prayer 

1  1  Cor.  xiv.  18.  3  Apoc.  i.  10. 

2  2  Cor.  xii.  4.  *  Apoc.  xiv.  2,  3. 

5  1  Cor.  xiv.  23;  Acts  ii.  13,  15.  Doubtless  S.  Paul  is  alluding  to 
these  manifestations  when  he  exhorts  the  Ephesians  to  know  no  other 
intoxication  save  the  transports  of  the  Divine  Spirit  :  "  And  be  not  drunk 
with  wine,  wherein  is  luxury,  but  be  ye  filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  speak- 
ing to  yourselves  in  psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs,  singing  and 
making  melody  in  your  hearts  to  the  Lord."     Ephes.  v.  18,  19. 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  PRIMITIVE  CHURCHES.     195 

SO  often  extolled  by  mystical  writers  as  one  of  the  most 
efficacious  means  of  uniting  the  Christian  to  his  God  ? 
The  peculiarity  of  this  state  lies  in  this,  —  that  all  intel- 
lectual operations  seem  to  be  suspended,  the  soul  of  the 
worshipper  no  longer  reasons,  since  his  understanding  is 
fastened,  not  upon  any  determinate  ideas,  but  on  the 
universal  Truth  in  which  it  is  enveloped  as  in  a  cloud, 
an  abyss  of  transplendent  dazzling  light.  Silent,  with- 
out thought  (the  expression  is  Saint  Theresa's  i),  the 
Contemplative  is  absorbed  in  the  singleness  of  his  own 
vision,  losing  himself,  throwing  aside  all  else  to  be  at  one 
with  God,  while  such  acts  as  take  place  in  his  soul  are  so 
deep-seated,  yet  of  so  fine  and  delicate  a  nature,  that  he 
has  no  consciousness  of  their  workings  ;  to  himself  he 
seems  to  sleep  in  a  calm  divine. 

From  century  to  century,  though  always  recognizing 
the  existence  of  such  psychical  states,  the  masters  of  the 
spiritual  life  have  been  careful  to  guard  against  their 
abuse.  We  all  remember  what  vigorousness  of  doctrine 
and  speech  Bossuet  displayed  in  fulfilling  this  ungrateful 
duty  during  the  seventeenth  century.  Saint  Paul  simply 
paved  the  way  for  the  work  of  such  successors  in  the 
Hierarchy  when  writing  his  Epistles  to  the  Corinthians. 
He  has,  indeed,  all  respect  for  the  cloud-capped  heights 
of  prayer,  but  he  refuses  to  recognize  this  as  the  path 
for  the  majority  of  Christians.  To  him,  too,  the  Gift  of 
Tongues,  with  its  ecstatic  concomitants,  seems  the  least 
useful  of  all,  notably  inferior  to  the  gift  of  instructing  the 
Christian  communities.  Observing  that  at  that  time  the 
Prophets  were  the  usual  ministers  of  this  teaching,  he 
urges  them  to  be  Teachers  rather  than  wonder-workers  ; 
he  is  anxious  that  their  whole  soul  should  remain  ever 
actively  susceptible  to  God's  influence,  capable  of  com- 
prehending and  interpreting  whatsoever  their  lips  should 
utter  ;  2  in  a  word,  "  that  the  spirits  of  the  Prophets  should 
be  subject  to  the  Prophets."  ^ 

1  Surin,  Catéchisme  Spirituelle,  i.  iii«  partie,  ch.  iv. 
'^  "  Let  him  who  speaks  a  tongue  beseech  God  to  interpret  it  to  him." 
1  Cor.  xiv.  13. 
3  1  Cor.  xiv.  32. 


196  SAINT  PAUL. 

Another  privilege,  and  one  of  greater  value,  was  that  of 
reading  the  human  heart.  Let  a  Pagan,  he  writes  to  the 
Corinthians,  enter  one  of  your  meetings  at  the  moment 
when  you  are  all  speaking  various  tongues,  and  he  will 
take  you  for  madmen.  If,  on  the  contrary,  he  finds  him- 
self in  the  society  of  Prophets  who  discover  to  him  the 
secrets  of  his  heart,  his  hidden  and  unsuspected  sins,  "  he 
will  fall  with  face  to  the  ground,  and  confess  that  God  is 
of  a  truth  amongst  you."  ^ 

It  is  easy  to  understand  the  suddenness  of  many  con- 
versions in  those  Christian  congregations  where  such 
scenes  were  of  daily  occurrence;  but  neither  are  we 
surprised  in  discovering  that  very  often  it  was  at  the 
expense  of  good  order  and  quiet  devotion.  Paul  is  at 
considerable  pains  to  direct  them  under  such  circum- 
stances, and  lays  down  the  following  rules  of  conduct. 
In  each  gathering  there  were  to  be  two  or  three  disciples 
at  most,  who,  possessing  this  Gift  of  Tongues,  should 
speak  in  turn,  and  in  every  case  an  interpreter  was  to 
make  known  what  they  said.  If  no  one  in  this  Church 
has  the  Gift  of  Interpretation,  the  inspired  person  is  to 
keep  silence  and  converse  with  God  in  the  privacy  of  his 
own  soul.  So,  too,  with  the  Prophets  ;  two  or  three  are 
to  speak,  and  their  utterances  are  then  to  be  judged  by 
the  others.  If,  while  one  of  the  Prophets  is  speaking, 
another  receives  some  revelation  of  greater  importance  for 
the  general  good,  let  him  stand  up,  and  the  first  speaker 
must  yield  place  to  him.^ 

The  charity  and  humble  deference  which  are  neces- 
sarily implied  as  a  complement  for  the  execution  of  these 
rules  surely  were  not  lacking  in  those  brotherly  bands  of 
Christians;  for  such  spiritual  gifts  are  swift  to  cleanse 
men's  hearts.  Sometimes,  however,  there  was  not  that 
moral  elevation  which  should  correspond  to  the  super- 
natural state  whereto  these  neophytes  were  so  suddenly 
raised  ;  hence  the  contrasts  which  St.  Paul  calls  attention 
to  in  the  Church  of  Corinth.  His  faithful  followers  "  had 
been  enriched  in  the  Christ  with  all  things,  —  with  all 

1  1  Cor.  xiv.  23-25.  2  i  Qor.  xiv.  27-30. 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  PRIMITIVE   CHURCHES.      19T 

speech  and  all  knowledge";  "no  gift  of  Grace  was  want- 
ing in  their  store  "  ;i  and  nevertheless  this  bounty  of  God 
had  brought  to  light  some  strange  weaknesses,  the  con- 
tentions of  wounded  vanity  on  their  part.  Too  many  were 
more  bent  upon  glorifying  themselves  than  on  serving  the 
common  weal,  and  accordingly  the  gifts  most  sought  after 
were  not  such  as  were  most  useful,  but  those  that  excited 
the  greatest  attention.  Feminine  ambition  came  in  to 
increase  the  confusion  ;  side  by  side  with  the  Prophets, 
Prophetesses  were  seen  to  rise  up  and  speak;  those  of 
Grecian  birth,  with  their  lively  and  eager  temperaments, 
were  prone  to  give  too  literal  an  interpretation  to  the 
words  whereby  the  Apostle  proclaimed  their  liberty  in 
the  Faith  :  "  In  Him  there  is  neither  man  nor  woman  ; 
you  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus."  ^  They  did  not  shrink 
from  contending  openly  with  men,  both  by  word  and 
argument,  in  their  gatherings,  discoursing  in  public  and 
with  uncovered  heads,  —  acts  of  freedom  which  were  all 
the  more  shocking  since,  at  these  same  meetings,  many  of 
the  men  kept  up  the  custom  common  in  Judea  and  Eome 
of  praying  with  veiled  brows. 

Paul  is  not  content  with  merely  proscribing  these 
abuses  ;  he  makes  this  an  occasion  for  conferring  on 
public  prayer  the  forms  which  it  has  preserved  ever 
since.  The  Jews  covered  their  heads,  out  of  reverence  for 
God,  and  as  unworthy  of  beholding  Him  ;  ^  the  Romans 
did  likewise,  but  from  superstitious  motives,  lest  at  the 
moment  of  sacrifice  any  unfavorable  augury  should  be 
perceived  by  sight  or  hearing.^  The  usage  among  the 
Greeks  was  just  the  opposite,  and  they  prayed  with  un- 
covered head.5  Paul  preferred  the  latter  custom,  for  the 
reason  that  the  forehead  is  the  noblest  part  of  the  body 
the  seat  of  the  intelligence.  "Man,"  he  tells  the  Corin- 
thians, "  being  the  image  and  the  glory  of  God,  ought  not 
to  cover  his  head  when  he  prays  "  ;    it  is  fitting  that  at 

1  1  Cor.  i.  5,  6,  7. 

2  Gal.  iii.  28. 

3  Lightfoot,  Horœ  Hehraicœ  in  1  Cor.  xi.  5. 

*  Marquardt,  Romische  Staatsverwaltung ,  iii.  171. 
°  Macrobius,  i.  Saturn.,  viii. 


198  SAINT  PAUL. 

such  times  all  that  is  most  august  in  him  should  appear 
and  render  homage  to  the  Lord.  For  the  woman  alone 
is  it  becoming  to  pray  beneath  a  veil,  as  denoting  that 
gentle  subjection  and  modest  silence  which  nature  itself 
inspires  in  her  sex.  This,  indeed,  is  one  of  the  rare  in- 
stances of  a  departure  from  Israelitish  ritual  authorized 
by  the  Apostle  ;  for,  on  the  whole,  he  respected  the  quiet 
and  slow  process  of  formation  that  had  been  going  on  for 
the  past  thirty  years,  changes  which  had  been  modelling 
the  Church,  in  the  details  of  its  worship  and  hierarchy, 
after  the  pattern  of  other  Jewish  communities. 

The  reader  will  remember  the  descriptions  already 
given  ^  of  the  Christian  fraternities  thus  fashioned.  At 
their  head  we  found  in  certain  places  a  College  of  Elders, 
and  in  others  one  principal  supervisor.  These  leaders 
exercised  functions  more  of  a  sacerdotal  than  of  an  ad- 
ministrative character,  while  the  real  jurisdiction  was  left 
in  the  hands  of  the  Twelve,  as  alone  capable  of  directing 
a  body  of  believers  all  more  or  less  endowed  with  extraor- 
dinary graces.  The  Apostles,  it  is  true,  could  not  make 
frequent  visits  to  the  Churches  which  they  founded  ; 
sometimes,  indeed,  they  never  returned  again  ;  but  their 
converts  were  bound  to  them  by  the  traditions  which  they 
had  left  behind  them.  On  matters  of  grave  import  their 
counsel  was  sought;  while  communications  were  further 
facilitated  by  the  busy  host  of  Evangelists,  Prophets, 
and  Catechists,  who,  after  the  manner  of  Jewish  mission- 
aries, attached  themselves  to  no  one  community  in  par- 
ticular, but  travelled  from  town  to  town,  bearing  the  Word 
of  the  Lord  and  His  Apostles,  teaching,  consoling,  and 
nourishing  a  spirit  of  Faith  and  Charity  among  the 
Churches. 

Like  its  forms  of  government,  so  also  the  service  of  the 
Christian  congregations  was  borrowed  from  the  syna- 
gogues to  which  most  of  the  members  had  once  belonged. 
Beside  the  Liturgy  of  the  Temple,  with  its  ceremonies, 
which  were  never  performed  except  on  Mount  Moriah, 
the  children  of  Israel    possessed  a  regularly  appointed 

1  Saint  Peter  and  the  First  Years  of  Christianity,  chap.  xi. 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  PRIMITIVE   CHURCHES.     199 

order  of  worship  for  each  synagogue.  Here  no  bloody 
sacrifices  were  offered,  nor  any  oblations  of  flowers,  fruit, 
or  perfumes.  The  service  consisted  simply  in  a  series 
of  hymns,  prayers,  readings,  and  sermons,  for  which  there 
was  a  carefully  arranged  order  ;  and  this,  as  well  as  the 
texts  to  be  read,  was  the  same  for  all  Jewish  commu- 
nities. At  the  outset,  when  meeting  together  in  their 
private  gatherings,  the  Christians  did  no  more  than  con- 
tinue the  services  which  they  were  accustomed  to  when 
in  company  with  their  brethren  of  Israel  ;  but  by  de- 
grees the  freer  spirit  of  the  New  Law  prompted  them  to 
introduce  into  the  Jewish  ritual  certain  changes  which 
it  behoves  us  to  notice  here. 

The  Synagogue  knew  of  no  hymns  save  the  Psalms  of 
old.  The  important  position  these  songs  still  hold  in 
our  liturgy  is  enough  to  show  that  their  use  was  as 
uninterrupted  as  it  was  universal  among  the  early  Chris- 
tians. Yet  it  was  not  long  before  they  added  new 
canticles,  which  should  give  fuller  expression  to  their 
Faith  :  "  Let  the  Word  of  the  Christ,"  was  the  Apostle's 
command,  "  dwell  in  you  in  its  fulness,  and  let  it  fill  you 
to  overflowing  with  wisdom  ;  teach  and  admonish  one 
another  in  psalms  and  hymns  and  spiritual  songs,^  singing 
with  your  heart  unto  God  in  graêe."  ^  Not  one  of  these 
earliest  Christian  songs  has  come  down  to  us  ;  still  it  is 
possible  that  two  or  three  rhythmical  passages  in  Saint 
Paul  may  be  fragments  from  these  familiar  chants  :  — 

"Awake,  thou  that  sleepest, 
And  arise  from  the  dead  ! 
And  the  Christ  shall  illumine  thee."^ 

^  It  is  difficult  to  establish  with  any  surety  the  distinction  between 
these  three  terms.  The  likeliest  one  so  far  proposed  is  that  \pa\fi6s  refers 
to  the  inspired  Psalms  of  the  Hebrews  ;  vjuvos  to  those  hymns  in  which 
God  was  praised  (S.  Jerome,  In  Ephes.  v.  19  ;  S.  Gregory  of  Xyssa,  In  Ps. 
iii.  ;  S.  Augustine,  Eurn-.  in  Ps.  Ixxii.  1  ;  cxlviii.  14)  ;  cvdi)  was  a  song 
dealing  with  some  Christian  subject,  the  principal  and  immediate  theme, 
however,  being  something  else  than  the  praise  of  God. 

■2  Colos.  iii.  16.     Cf.  Ephes.  v.  19. 

3  Ephes.  V.  14.  This  passage  reminds  one  of  Isaiah,  but  its  form  is 
new  and  entirely  Christian  :  "  Lift  up  thine  head,  shine  forth,  for  thy 
Light  is  come,  and  the  Glory  of  the  Eternal  hath  risen  upon  Thee  "  (Is. 
Ix.  1).     The  canticles  of   Zachary,  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  Simeon,  as 


200  SAINT  PAUL. 

And  elsewhere:  — 

"  Surely,  great  is  the  mystery  of  Love,^ 
Which  is  made  manifest  in  the  flesh, 
Justified  by  the  Spirit, 
Hath  been  beheld  by  the  Angels, 
Preached  unto  the  Nations, 
Believed  on  in  the  world. 
Raised  up  unto  glory."  2 

Though  composed  and  sung  at  first  in  the  homes  of 
the  disciples,  these  songs  came,  little  by  little,  into  use  at 
the  gatherings  for  public  worship,  and  thus  found  a  place 
beside  the  Hebrew  Psalter.  The  Jewish  rules  deter- 
mined what  hymns  were  to  be  recited  at  stated  times  in 
the  religious  service  ;  it  is  more  than  likely  that  the 
Christians  did  not  long  consider  themselves  as  bound  by 
these  regulations,  and  soon  made  the  best  choice  they 
could  from  the  inspired  collection  ;  for  no  likeness  can  be 
traced  between  the  details  of  usage  in  the  Church  and 
that  of  the  Synagogue. 

The  same  alterations  are  to  be  noted  in  the  order  of 
prayers  marked  in  the  Jewish  ritual.  The  Shema 
("Hearken!  0  Israel!"),  with  which  divine  service 
opened,  was  not  so  much  an  elevation  of  the  soul  as  a 
dry  repetition  of  certain  verses  from  the  Bible.  For  the 
first  few  days  after  breaking  with  the  Synagogue,  each 
little  group  of  disciples  would  —  we  may  easily  fancy  — 
observe  this  rite  in  their  Christian  sanctuary,  if  only  for 
the  reason  that  it  was  hallowed  by  custom.  But  soon 
"  the  Spirit  of  grace  and  of  prayer  "  ^  descending  upon  the 
newly  chosen  flock  inundated  all  hearts  with  love  ;  the 
Spirit  of  Adoption,  the  Spirit  of  the  Son,*  was  crying  in 
their  souls,  "  Father,  Father  !  "  These  were  the  groanings 
unspeakable,  the  very  voice  of  Jesus  "  supplicating  with 
tears   and    mighty  cries  "  ;  ^   and  thereupon  the  Prayer 

given  us  by  S.  Luke,  as  well  as  the  hymn  of  thanks  sung  by  the  disciples 
at  Jerusalem  (Acts  iv.  24-30),  are  also  inspired  by  the  language  of  Holv 
Writ. 

1  Eva-effelas,  properly  "of  piety,"  —  of  the  Christian  conduct  of  life. 

2  1  Tim.  iii.  16. 

3  Zach.  xii.  10. 

*  Gal.  iv.  5,  6.  5  Heb.  v.  7. 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  PRIMITIVE  CHURCHES.      201 

learned  from  the  Saviour's  lips,  the  Our  Father,  would 
find  its  way  naturally  into  every  mouth,  and  thus  the 
Jewish  Shema  disappeared  amid  these  transports  of  love, 
as  a  useless  and  forgotten  rite. 

The  thanksgivings  which  followed  this  formula  of  the 
religious  service  in  the  Synagogue  were  characterized,  to 
the  highest  degree,  by  a  sentiment  of  true  piety  ;  ac- 
cordingly the  forms  of  these  benedictions  have  passed 
into  our  own  liturgy  ;  the  same  thoughts,  and,  in  some 
cases,  the  exact  expressions  as  well,  have  been  preserved 
unaltered  :  — 

"  Blessed  be  Thou,  0  Lord  our  God,  God  of  our  fathers, 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  !  Great  God,  Almighty  and  Aw- 
ful, God  Most  High,  Who  art  pleased  to  bestow  all  good 
things  and  graces,  .  .  .  Who  sendest  the  Kedeemer  unto 
Thy  children's  children,  to  glorify  Thy  Name  and  declare 
Thy  love  unto  usward  !  .   .  ."  ^ 

"  Thou  art  forevermore  almighty,  0  Lord  !  .  .  .  Thou 
dost  raise  the  dead  through  Thy  great  mercy,  Thou  dost 
uphold  the  falling,  heal  the  sick,  deliver  the  prisoners,  and 
keep  Thy  promises  unto  all  such  as  sleep  in  the  dust.  Who 
is  almighty  even  as  Thou  art,  0  Lord  ?  and  who  can  be 
likened  unto  Thee  ?  .  .  .  Blessed  art  Thou,  Lord,  who  dost 
raise  up  the  dead  !  " 

"  Thou  art  holy,  yea  Holy  is  Thy  Name,  and  all  the 
Saints  do  glorify  Thee.  .  .  .  Blessed  be  Thou,  Lord,  Holy 
God  !  " 

*' Hallowed  be  Thy  Name  on  earth  as  it  is  in  Heaven. 
.  .  .  And  let  men  say,  one  to  another.  Holy,  Holy,  Holy 
is  the  Lord,  God  of  Hosts,  all  the  earth  is  full  of  Thy 
glory." 2 

The  words  of  glowing  thanks  to  God  which  Saint 
Paul's  letters  abound  with,  as  well  as  the  very  name  of 
Eucharist,  which  was  conferred  on  the  holiest  rite  of  our 

1  These  Acts  of  Thanksgiving  are  eighteen  in  number  ;  whence  their 
name  Shemonë  Esi'ë  {The  Eighteen).  Those  cited  above  were  in  use  in 
the  time  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Apostles.  See  Kitto's  Cyclopœdia,  Art. 
Synagogue. 

2  This  final  Act  of  Thanksgiving,  called  the  Keduscha,  in  public  wor- 
ship was  recited  instead  of  the  foregoing  one,  which  was  only  used  in 
private  prayers. 


202  SAINT  PAUL. 

religion,  show  how  great  an  influence  these  beautiful 
prayers  had  on  the  forms  of  Christian  devotion. 

Still  other  features  in  our  ancient  liturgies  are  in  like 
manner  due  to  ancient  Jewish  customs,  —  such  as  the 
prayer  offered  in  the  name  of  all  present  by  one  of  the 
pastors,  the  congregation  confirming  it  with  their  "  Amen," 
the  Alleluia,  and  short  supplications,  —  the  attitude  pre- 
served when  praying,  standing  erect,  with  arms  uplifted 
and  hands  outstretched.  The  imprints  of  Jewish  ideas 
are  evident  in  these  instances,  but  we  must  also  remark 
the  very  independent  spirit  in  which  the  Church  adapted 
these  usages  to  her  needs  :  all  Pharisaism  was  thrown 
aside  ;  only  those  rites  which  appealed  to  them  as  befit- 
ting the  new  Faith  were  retained  in  the  Christian  sanc- 
tuaries. 

It  was  especially  in  the  portion  of  the  service  conse- 
crated to  the  instruction  of  the  flock  that  this  right  of 
selection  was  most  freely  exercised.  These  instructions, 
which  followed  the  recital  of  the  prayers,  always  con- 
sisted of  passages  from  the  Law  and  the  Prophets,  with 
a  commentary  in  the  form  of  a  homily.  The  lessons 
from  Scripture  placed  at  the  beginning  of  Mass  and 
other  offices,  with  the  short  sermons  appended  to  them, 
are  survivals  of  the  Jewish  service  ;  but,  here  as  every- 
where, the  Spirit  renews  all  it  touches  with  the  in- 
breathing of  Christian  liberty.  In  the  Synagogue,  when 
expounding  the  Law,  the  Doctors  never  aimed  at  any- 
thing higher  than  the  inculcation  of  its  most  minute 
precepts,  and  to  that  end  it  was  ordered  to  be  read  whole 
and  entire  within  a  certain  lapse  of  time.^  Their  point 
of  view,  when  treating  the  Prophets,  was  not  a  whit 
broader  ;  the  preacher  looked  for  nothing  else  but  visions 
of  prosperity  and  worldly  greatness.  Very  different  did 
the  Scriptures  sound  when  read  by  Christian  lips  :  to 
them  its  theme  was  Jesus  as  therein  prefigured,  His 
Advent  prepared  and  announced  to  the  world  ;  this  was 

I  It  would  seem  to  be  certain  that,  in  the  time  of  Jesus  and  the  Apos- 
tles, the  Law,  divided  into  153  sections  (the  Sedarim,  also  called  Pares- 
cheoth),  was  read  through  every  three  years.  Later  on,  the  sections  were 
so  arranged  that  the  reading  of  the  Law  could  be  completed  in  one  year. 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  PRIMITIVE  CHURCHES.     203 

their  point  of  view,  and  anything  that  served  to  support 
it  was  insisted  on,  leaving  all  the  rest  in  obscurity. 
Hence  they  were  led  to  make  a  new  choice  of  lessons 
from  the  Inspired  Books,  a  selection  often  determined  by 
the  inspiration  of  the  moment,  and  not  settled  in  a  fixed 
order  until  a  later  date. 

Furthermore,  —  and  this  we  must  always  bear  in  mind, 
—  the  first  place  in  the  teaching  of  the  Church  did  not 
belong  to  the  Old  Testament,  but  to  the  Life  and  Words 
of  Jesus,  "  The  Gospel  "  properly  so  called,  which  the 
Apostles  confided  to  every  Church  founded  by  them.  To 
treasure  these  memories  carefully  and  meditate  upon 
them  was  the  dearest  duty  of  the  new  Christians.  About 
the  period  we  have  just  been  studying,  they  came  into 
possession  of  other  revealed  words,  beside  these  lessons 
from  the  Master's  lips.  By  this  I  mean  the  Apostolic 
Epistles,  for  the  first  of  these  were  written  from  Corinth.^ 
The  Jewish  colonies,  ever  since  their  dispersion  through- 
out Heathendom,  maintained  close  bonds  of  union  in 
faith  and  hope  by  a  constant  interchange  of  letters  from 
one  to  the  other;  the  never  ceasing  relations  of  com- 
merce, which  connected  the  Jewish  settlers  of  every  land, 
usually  sufficed  to  keep  intact  these  links  of  correspond- 
ence ;  however,  some  of  the  synagogues  kept  regularly 
commissioned  couriers  in  their  service,  notably  the  San- 
hédrin of  Jerusalem,  whose  authority  extended  over  all 
Israel  dispersed  throughout  the  world.  A  custom  so 
admirably  fitted  to  keep  men's  hearts  united  passed  very 
naturally  into  Christian  customs  ;  it  was  not  considered 
anything  extraordinary  when  messengers  arrived  from 
other  flocks  or  from  their  pastors  :  but  a  quite  different 
value  was  attached  to  letters  written  by  the  Apostles. 


^  The  Epistles  of  S.  Paul,  though  arranged  in  our  Bible  without  any 
regard  to  the  date  of  their  composition,  have  been  so  classified  according 
to  the  dignity  of  the  Churches  to  which  they  are  respectively  addressed 
by  the  Apostle,  and  especially  in  the  order  of  their  importance.  For  the 
latter  reason,  his  Letter  to  the  Romans  occupies  the  first  place  in  the 
majority  of  ancient  collections  :  ''  quia  in  se  omnis  generis  doctrinam  et 
accuratam  copiosamque  dogmatum  tractationem  continet."  Theodoret, 
Prœf.  in  Epist.  Pauli. 


204  SAINT  PAUL. 

The  Twelve  held  an  unparalleled  position  in  the  Church, 
and  their  inspired  words  were  received  as  such  by  all  ; 
their  instructions  were  listened  to  with  the  same  venera- 
tion as  were  the  Evangelical  Narratives  ;  when  put  in 
writing  they  were  religiously  cherished,  as  destined  to  be 
read  and  re-read,  and  piously  meditated  on.  Saint  Paul, 
more  than  any  of  his  fellow  Apostles,  made  great  use  of 
this  means  of  widening  his  influence.  Aside  from  the 
great  store  the  Church  has  ever  set  on  these  letters,  it  is 
easy  to  judge  of  the  impressions  they  then  produced  by 
the  fervor  displayed  in  the  youthful  congregations  of 
Philippi  and  Thessalonica.  Welcomed  as  another  mes- 
sage from  on  High,  they  were  studied,  commented  on,  and 
consulted  daily,  and  were  considered  as  the  standard  for 
all  human  actions.  Nor  did  they  remain  long  confined 
to  the  circle  of  the  single  community  in  whose  interest 
they  had  been  penned  ;  copies  were  taken  which,  when 
distributed  among  the  other  Churches,  made  up  a  sacred 
deposit,  to  be  forever  preserved  in  the  archives  and  read 
publicly  on  certain  stated  occasions.  Paul,  himself,  by 
recommending  that  they  make  this  double  use  of  them,i 
thereby  put  them  in  the  same  rank  with  the  inspired 
writings,  and  assured  them  that  position  which  they  have 
ever  since  maintained  in  our  liturgy. 

Neither  this  addition  to  the  Jewish  lectionary,  nor  the 
innovations  in  songs  and  prayers  modified  essentially  the 
religious  service  which  the  Christians  had  borrowed  from 
the  Synagogue.  It  was  quite  otherwise  with  the  Break- 
ing of  Bread  established  by  the  Lord  :  this  new  Kite  was 
destined  to  dominate  and  embrace,  little  by  little,  all  the 
others. 

At  Corinth  it  retained  the  same  characteristics,  already 
noticed  at  Jerusalem, —it  was  still  a  sacred  banquet, 
"  the  Lord's  Supper."  ^  In  memory  of  the  night  in  which 
the  Eucharist  was  instituted,  it  was  celebrated  at  even- 
tide after  sunset,  by  the  light  of  many  lamps.^  The 
meeting-place   was   the   upper   chamber   which    usually 

1  Thess.  V.  27  ;  Colos.  iv.  16. 

2  KvpiaKhv  SfÎTTvov.     1  Cor.  xi.  20.  ^  Acts  xx.  8. 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  PRIMITIVE   CHURCHES.     205 

formed  the  topmost  story  of  Eastern  dwellings.  The 
guests  reclined  on  couches,  and  the  liturgy  began  with  a 
meal  which  soon  came  to  be  known  as  the  Love  Feast,  or 
Agape.  At  Jerusalem,  in  order  that  the  mystic  Banquet 
might  fittingly  express  the  perfect  charity  of  Christianity, 
the  food  was  partaken  of  in  common.  But  as  the  usage 
in  all  Greek  social  organizations  was  for  each  member  to 
eat  the  contributions  he  had  brought  with  him  to  the 
common  meal,^  the  Christians  of  Corinth  clung  to  this 
national  custom;  in  the  event,  however,  this  innovation 
worked  to  the  detriment  of  union  and  decorum,  for  soon 
scandalous  abuses  crept  in,^  which  served  to  hasten  the 
day  when  the  Agape  was  to  be  divorced  from  the  Eucha- 
rist, and  thus  doomed  to  disappear  little  by  little  from 
the  cultus  of  Christianity. 

The  fraternal  supper  at  an  end,  the  guests  proceeded  to 
salute  one  another  with  a  holy  kiss,  "  the  kiss  of  peace 
and  love."  ^  Those  who  felt  any  sin  weighing  on  their 
conscience  made  confession  thereof;^  thereafter,  all, 
standing  up,  united  in  the  blessings  which  one  of  the 
priests  pronounced  over  the  bread,  wine,  and  water  set 
before  him.  The  Eucharistie  prayers  preserved  in  The 
Teaching  of  the  Apostles  give  us  some  idea  of  these 
invocations,  which  the  celebrant  improvised  under  the 
inspiration  of  the  moment  :  — 

"  {For  the  Chalice.)  Our  Father,  we  return  thanks  to 
Thee  for  the  holy  vine  of  Thy  servant  David,  which  Thou 
hast  given  us  to  know  through  Jesus,  Thy  Servant.  Unto 
Thee  be  the  glory  for  ever  and  ever  !  " 

"  {For  the  Bread.)  Our  Father,  we  thank  Thee  for  the 
life  and  the  knowledge  which  Thou  hast  given  us  to  learn 

i  Athenseus,  viii.  17.  21  Qq^  xi.  17  et  seq. 

3  'Aairdaaade  aWrjXovs  eV  <pi\T]iiaTi  ayitp  (1  Cor,  xvi.  20).  .  .  .  eu 
(t>i\^fxaTi  àyaTrrjs  (1  Pet.  v.  14).  This  fraterual  kiss  is  also  often  designated 
by  the  word  àcnraaixos  (Liturgy  of  S.  Gregory  of  Nazianzen,  in  Migne, 
t.  ii.  p.  704)  ;  in  liturgical  language  it  came  to  be  known  as  "the  Kiss  of 
Peace,"  eîprjvri.  See  Krauss,  Real  Encyclopddie  der  christUchen  Alterthumer, 
Friedenskuss. 

^  "  Every  Sunday,  meeting  together,  you  break  the  bread  and  celebrate 
the  Eucharist,  after  having  confessed  your  sins  that  thus  your  sacrifice 
may  be  pure."     Doctrina  XII  Apost.,  xiv. 


206  SAINT  PAUL. 

through  Thy  Servant,  Jesus.  Unto  Thee  be  the  glory  for 
ever  and  ever  !  Even  as  the  particles  of  this  bread  once 
scattered  over  the  hillsides  are  here  united  in  a  single 
whole,  so  likewise  may  Thy  Church  be  gathered  together 
from  the  ends  of  the  earth  into  Thy  Kingdom,  for  unto 
Thee  is  the  honor  and  power  through  Jesus  Christ  for  ever 
and  ever."  ^ 

The  pastor  "  prayed  thus,  and  gave  thanks  as  long  as  he 
could,  the  people  meanwhile  answering  with  exclama- 
tions of  Ameii!'"^  The  Consecration  followed,  and  was 
accompanied  and  consummated  by  a  set  form  of  words, 
fixed  from  the  very  beginning.  Beyond  all  doubt  this 
was  the  formula  which  Saint  Paul  recalls  to  the  Corin- 
thians in  these  terms  :  — 

"  The  Lord  Jesus,  on  the  night  when  He  was  betrayed, 
took  bread,  and  when  He  had  given  thanks,  brake  it  and 
said,  'This  is  My  Body  delivered  up  for  you;  do  this  in 
remembrance  of  Me.'  In  like  manner  He  took  the  Cup 
after  supper  and  said,  '  This  Cup  is  the  Xew  Covenant  in 
My  Blood:  do  this,  as  often  as  you  drink  thereof,  in 
remembrance  of  Me.'  "  ^ 

The  loaves,  consecrated  all  together,  reminded  the  con- 
gregation that  "by  partaking  one  and  all  of  the  one  same 
Bread,  they  composed  all  together  but  one  single  loaf 
and  one  single  body."  ^  They  were  not  broken  save  for 
the  Communion  :  "  then  each  believing  member  received 
his  share,  and  the  absent  had  theirs  sent  to  them  by  the 
ministry  of  the  Deacons."  ^ 

Bene  wed  acts  of  thanksgiving  terminated  this  lit- 
urgy, so  entirely  Christian  in  its  character  ;  they  were 
analogous  to  those  which  we  find  in  The  Teaching  of  the 
Apostles  :  — 

"  (After  that  you  have  been  fed,  give  thanks  thus  .*) 
Holy  Father,  we  thank  Thee,  because  of  Thy  Holy  Name 

1  Doctrina  XII  Apost.,  ix.  *  1  Cor.  x.  17. 

2  S.  Justin,  Apologia,  i.  67.  ^  S.  Justin,  Apol.,  i.  67. 

3  1  Cor.  xi.  23-25. 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  PRIMITIVE   CHURCHES.     207 

which  Thou  hast  made  to  dwell  in  our  hearts,  and  for  the 
knowledge,  the  faith,  and  the  immortality  which  Thou  hast 
revealed  unto  us  through  Thy  servant  Jesus.  Unto  Thee 
be  glory  for  ever  and  ever  !  Almighty  Master,  Thou  didst 
create  all  things  for  the  glory  of  Thy  Name  ;  Thou  hast 
given  meat  and  drink  to  men  that  they  might  enjoy  them 
in  thankfulness  to  Thee  ;  but  unto  us  Thou  hast  given  a 
spiritual  meat  and  drink,  and  life  everlasting,  through  Thy 
Servant.  Above  all  we  give  Thee  thanks  for  that  Thou  art 
almighty.  Unto  Thee  be  the  glory  for  ever  and  ever  !  Be 
Thou  mindful,  0  Lord,  of  Thy  Church,  delivering  it  from 
all  evil,  endowing  it  with  all  perfectness  in  Thy  love. 
From  the  four  winds  of  heaven  gather  together  this  Church, 
made  holy  unto  the  Kingdom  which  Thou  hast  prepared  for 
us  ;  for  unto  thee  is  the  power  and  the  glory  forever  and 
forevermore  !  0  let  grace  descend,  and  let  this  world 
pass  away  !  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David  !  Whosoever 
is  holy,  let  him  draw  nigh  ;  whosoever  is  not  holy,  let  him 
repent.     Maranatha  (the  Lord  cometh).     Amen."  ^ 

And  The  Teaching  adds  :  "  Thereafter  let  the  Proph- 
ets make  thanksgiving  as  much  as  they  will."  This, 
indeed,  was  the  moment  when  the  inspired  communi- 
cants, in  their  transports  of  gratitude,  were  given  the 
power  to  read  men's  hearts,  speaking  and  singing  to  God 
in  unknown  languages,  and  working  those  marvels  which 
converted  the  infidels  who  witnessed  such  scenes. 

These  manifestations  of  the  Divine  Spirit  generally 
took  place  after  Communion  ;  consequently  they  were 
becoming  less  frequent  at  the  period  before  us,  for  the 
Breaking  of  Bread  had  ceased  to  be  what  it  was  during 
the  earliest  days,  a  Kite  which  was  performed  after  every 
evening  meal.  The  business  of  daily  life  in  both  Jewish 
and  Christian  communities  of  the  Dispersion  was  too 
exhausting  to  admit  of  such  frequent  religious  exercises 
as  were  held  in  Jerusalem.  As  a  general  thing,  the  dis- 
ciples, taking  pattern  by  their  brethren  of  Israel,  were 
content  with  celebrating  the  Sabbath,  and  like  them,  at 
least  at  this  early  date,  they  met  together  three  times 
a  day,  —  in  the  morning  at  nine  o'clock,  about  three  in 

1  Doctrina  XII  Apost.,  x.  - 


208  SAINT  PAUL. 

the  afternoon,  and  in  the  evening  after  sunset.  In  the 
synagogues  the  morning  meeting  was  the  most  important 
one,  and  alone  comprised  all  parts  of  divine  worship  in 
their  complete  development,  —  prayers,  hymns,  readings, 
and  sermons.  For  the  Christians,  on  the  contrary,  the 
evening  meeting  naturally  became  the  principal  feature 
of  their  worship,  for  it  was  then  that  they  partook  of 
their  mystic  Banquet.  Little  by  little,  as  the  prayers 
and  sermons  which  preceded  the  Eucharist  lasted  a 
longer  time  or  began  at  a  later  hour,  the  Lord's  Supper 
came  to  be  celebrated  after  midnight,^  and  even  delayed 
till  dawn.  Thus  the  day  after  the  Sabbath,  which  was 
the  first  of  the  week,  came  to  be  consecrated  to  the  so- 
lemnity of  the  new  liturgy,  and  was  known,  from  the 
Lord's  Supper,  its  essential  feature,  by  the  name  of  Do- 
minical or  Lord's  Day.  At  the  time  Saint  Paul  was  writ- 
ing to  the  Corinthians,  this  change  had  already  come 
about. ^  Many,  out  of  respect  for  the  Synagogue,  still 
joined  in  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath  rest;  but  the 
real  Holy  Day  for  Christians  was  the  morrow,  and  some 
years  later  we  find  the  Apostle  insisting  that  Gentile  con- 
verts should  take  no  more  notice  of  the  Sabbath.^ 

The  main  point  in  the  system  laid  upon  them  by 
Moses  in  regard  to  this  matter  did  not  consist  in  the 
being  present  at  the  religious  service  which  was  cele- 
brated during  the  day,  but  in  refraining  from  all  labor. 
Now  we  all  know  what  the  Jewish  Doctors  had  man- 
aged to  make  of  this  hallowed  rest  :  it  had  grown  to  be 
a  burden  of  such  crushing  weight,  that  the  Saviour  de- 
clared it  unbearable.    By  the  indignant  words  He  uttered 

1  As  at  Troas.    Acts  xx.  7-11. 

2  1  Cor.  xvi.  2  ;  Acts  xx.  7.  "  The  services  for  Holy  Saturday  and  the 
Vigil  of  Whitsunday,  so  far  as  concerns  the  part  preceding  the  blessing 
of  the  baptismal  fonts,  have  preserved  the  form  peculiar  to  the  Vigils  of 
ancient  times,  as  they  were  celebrated  every  Sunday  in  the  first  centuries 
of  Christianity.  .  .  .  The  same  can  be  said  of  the  series  of  lessons, 
responses,  and  prayers  with  which  the  Mass  for  Saturday  in  Ember  days 
opens.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  this  Mass  is  really  the  morning  Mass  of  the 
following  day,  Sunday."  Duchesne,  Origines  du  Culte  Chrétien,  chap.  viii. 
p.  219. 

3  Coloss.  ii.  16. 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  PRIMITIVE   CHURCHES.     209 

against  this  excess  of  fanatism,  as  well  as  by  His  example, 
He  had  moved  Israel  to  cast  off  the  yoke  of  this  slavery 
to  trifles.  "  Man  was  not  made  for  the  Sabbath,"  He  told 
them,  "  but  the  Sabbath  for  man,"  ^  —  that  thus  he  might 
have  leisure  to  tend  to  his  duties  unto  God  and  meditate  on 
His  Law.  Paul's  only  object  in  this  matter  was  to  fulfil 
the  Master's  behest  and  free  the  Church  from  the  curse 
of  Pharisaism  ;  in  the  heat  of  the  contest  he  waged 
with  the  Judaizers  on  this  point,  he  seems  never  to  have 
thought  of  such  a  thing  as  applying  to  the  Lord's  Day 
that  precept  of  Moses,  "  Thou  shalt  not  do  any  work  on 
that  day."  ^  This  change  was  destined  to  operate  of  itself 
and  insensibly,  as  the  number  of  Judaizing  members  still 
faithful  to  the  "Sabbath's  Observance"  grew  smaller  and 
smaller.  The  Lord's  Day,  Sunday,  remained  as  the  only 
season  sacred  to  public  worship  and  hallowed  repose  ; 
but  in  the  holy  liberty  of  the  New  Law  there  was  no 
prohibition  of  such  works  as  contribute  to  our  daily 
needs,  to  charity  and  the  glory  of  God. 

Beside  the  Sabbath,  pious  Jews  were  wont  to  keep  two 
other  days  of  the  week  sacred,  Monday  and  Thursday, 
by  prayer  and  the  reading  of  the  Law,  principally  how- 
ever by  fasting.^  The  Christians  kept  up  the  last  men- 
tioned practice,  but  changed  the  days  of  the  Jewish  fasts 
to  Wednesday  and  Friday,  in  memory  of  the  Saviour's 
Passion.*  The  same  thing  occurred  in  respect  to  the  two 
great  solemnities  of  Israel,  the  Passover  and  Pentecost. 
All  that  was  needful  to  insure  their  preservation  was  to 
change  the  object  of  veneration  :  the  Passover  became  the 
Festival  which  celebrated  the  glory  of  the  risen  Lord  ; 
Pentecost  that  of  the  Holy  Ghost  inaugurating  in  this 
world  the  new  Kingdom  predicted  by  Jesus. 

1  Mark  ii.  27. 

2  Exod.  XX.  10. 

3  Luke  xviii.  12.  These  fasts  were  not  obligatory.  Esdras  was  said  to 
have  instituted  them  in  memory  of  Moses,  who  ascended  Mount  Sinai  to 
receive  the  I^aw  on  the  fiftieth  day,  and  returned  thence  on  the  second. 
Baha  Kama,  fol.  82a. 

4  "  Do  not  celebrate  your  fasts  with  the  hypocrites  [the  Pharisees,  Matt. 
vi.  16]  on  the  Second  day  of  the  week  and  the  Fiftieth  ;  rather  do  you  fast 
on  the  Fourth  and  Sixth  days."     Dnctrina  XII  Apost.,  viii.  1. 

14 


210  SAINT  PAUL. 

Such  in  its  broadest  outlines  would  seem  to  be  the 
facts  concerning  the  organization  of  the  altered  worship 
which  grew  up  about  the  new  Faith.  Its  temple  was  the 
dwelling  of  some  one  of  the  brethren,  which  was  usually, 
as  we  have  seen,  located  in  the  large  hall  at  the  top  of 
the  houses  as  they  were  constructed  in  olden  times.  The 
faithful  flocked  to  their  sanctuaries  just  as  the  Israelites 
did  to  their  synagogues,  but  by  a  blesseder  compulsion, 
for  they  were  drawn  thither  by  far  dearer  attractions. 
Here  they  found  the  true  Ark  of  God,  with  the  indwelling 
Eucharistie  Presence  ;  here,  too,  there  was  a  High  Tri- 
bunal where  every  difference  was  speedily  adjusted;  in 
fine,  God's  House  was  a  centre  of  social  life  so  beneficent 
and  delightful  that  to  be  excommunicated  from  its  pale 
seemed  the  most  dreadful  of  all  punishments.  In  the 
words  of  advice  with  which  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Thes- 
salonians  closes.  Saint  Paul  gives  us  a  glimpse  of  what 
the  life  of  these  Christian  societies  was  like.  At  their 
head  are  zealous  and  busy  pastors,  alike  steadfast  and  self- 
sacrificing  ;  under  their  rule  peace  is  fostered  in  the  body 
of  believers,  with  but  few  troubles  occurring  to  mar  their 
wonderful  unity;  holy  charity, abounds,  and  exerts  itself 
in  every  way  to  reclaim  the  wayward,  cheer  the  disheart- 
ened, and  help  the  weaker  ones,  with  great  patience  toward 
all,  never  returning  evil  for  evil,  but  kindly  disposed  to 
all  men  alike  ;  the  eyes  of  all  true  Christians  are  raised 
continually  to  God,  and  words  of  thanksgiving  are  on 
every  lip  ;  everywhere  one  feels  the  charm  of  solid  virtue, 
the  calmness  of  unutterable  joy.^  The  exclamation  which 
broke  from  the  Pagans'  lips  at  sight  of  such  brotherly 
congregations  is  at  once  their  just  meed  of  praise,  while 
at  the  same  time  it  explains  the  attraction  they  exerted 
on  the  outer  world.  "  Look,"  cried  the  Heathen,  "  and  see 
how  they  love  one  another  !  "  ^ 

1  1  Thess.  V.  12-21.  '^  TertuUian,  Apolog.,  xxxix. 


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ST.  PAUL'S 

FHIRD  MISSION  JOURNEY 

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Casaiea  to  Rome 

d' 

CHAPTEE  IX. 

THE   THIRD   MISSION  JOURNEY.  —  EPHESUS. 

Nearly  three  years  have  passed  since  the  arrival  of 
Paul  at  Corinth.  By  degrees  the  goodly  multitude  that 
God  had  promised  him  he  should  tind  in  that  city  ^  was 
now  won  over  to  the  Faith.  A  Church  was  there,  a 
living,  active  body,  with  a  strongly  constituted  govern- 
ment of  its  own,  and,  what  is  more,  assured  of  being 
tolerated  by  Rome,  nay,  of  being  protected  even  by  the 
Imperial  power  at  any  critical  juncture  :  this  the  Jews 
had  proved  to  their  own  cost.  The  Apostle  felt  that 
there  could  not  be  a  more  propitious  moment  for  leaving 
in  the  hands  of  Providence  these  harvest  fields  so  well 
hedged  in  from  the  spoiler,  and  for  him  to  betake  himself 
to  other  and  virgin  soil.  But  in  the  depopulated  territory 
of  Greece  there  was  no  town,  besides  Athens  and  Corinth, 
of  sufficient  importance  to  claim  his  attention.  Farther 
away,  in  the  land  of  Italy,  were  the  great  centres  whence 
the  Empire  drew  its  life  and  activity  ;  nevertheless,  before 
choosing  the  field  for  his  new  mission  work,  Paul  desired 
to  revisit  Jerusalem,  and  again  come  in  touch  with  the 
Churches  of  Judea. 

He  had  been  away  from  home  and  native  land  for  now 
three  years,  and  he  did  not  know  what  might  have  been 
the  sequel  to  the  decrees  of  the  Apostolic  Assembly,  or 
what  line  of  conduct  the  Judaizing  Christians  had  adopted 
since  his  departure.  Their  intrigues  at  Antioch,  immedi- 
ately he  was  gone  from  that  town,^  were  enough  to  justify 
any  suspicions  ;  he  resolved  to  see  for  himself  how  mat- 
ters were  going  on,  and  for  this  purpose  to  reach  the  Holy 

1  Acts  xviii.  10.  2  Qal.  ii.  11-15. 


212  SAINT  PAUL, 

City  in  time  for  an  Israelitish  Feast  which  was  now  near 
at  hand.i  In  order  to  give  some  explanation  for  his  de- 
parture and  render  it  irrevocable,  he  made  the  Nazarite's 
Vow,  which  bound  him  to  celebrate  certain  sacrifices  iu 
the  Temple  on  that  particular  solemnity.  Vows  of  this 
kind  were  made  by  pious  Jews  on  their  deliverance  from 
sickness  or  serious  trials.^  The  dangers  which  Paul  had 
escaped  from  but  recently  served  as  a  natural  excuse  for 
such  a  testimonial  of  gratitude.  He  performed  this  reli- 
sions act  accordinoj  to  Jewish  rules,  which  consisted  in 
abstaining  from  wine  for  thirty  days,  and  at  the  expira- 
tion of  that  period  having  the  head  shaved.  Should  the 
Nazarite  chance  to  be  absent  from  the  Holy  City  at  the 
end  of  this  stated  period,  he  must  carefully  preserve 
the  locks  then  cut  from  his  head  until  the  event  of  his 
arrival  at  Jerusalem.  There,  after  seven  days  of  purifi- 
cation, he  was  shorn  anew,  and  all  this  hair  was  cast  into 
the  fire  of  the  sacrifices  which  the  Law  bade  him  offer.^ 

As  the  month  of  Paul's  Nazariteship  ended  about  the 
date  set  for  his  departure,  he  took  leave  of  the  brethren 
and  proceeded  to  Kenchrsea,^  to  have  his  head  shaved 
there,  and  thence  embark  for  the  East.  From  the  Chris- 
tians of  that  seaport  he  received  a  respectful  welcome, 

1  As  the  sea  routes  were  not  opened  in  ancient  times  until  some  time  in 
March  (Cœsar,  De  Bell.  Gall.,  iv.  36,  v.  23,  Acts  xxvii.  9,  12),  it  is  not 
probable  that  Paul,  after  leaving  Corinth,  could  have  been  able  to  reach 
Jerusalem  in  time  for  the  Pasch.  The  Feast  which  he  wished  to  be  in  the 
Holy  City  for  was  either  Pentecost  or  the  Feast  of  the  Tabernacles,  in  all 
probability  the  former  solemnity. 

2  Josephus,  Bell.  JiicL,  ii.  xv.  1. 

3  Mishna  Nazir,  ii,  3. 

*  Acts  xviii.  18.  Interpreters  of  Scripture  who  shrink  from  the  idea 
that  Paul  should  have  submitted,  of  his  own  free  will,  to  the  Jewish 
practices  connected  with  the  Nazirate,  prefer  to  join  Keipd/uLevos  with  the 
proper  name  'A/cvAas  which  precedes  it,  and  attribute  to  this  personage 
the  voAv  spoken  of  in  the  Acts.  Their  opinion  is,  however,  founded  on  a 
strained  construction,  for  the  participle  would  naturally  modify  the  prin- 
cipal subject  of  the  sentence,  which  is  Paul  himself  Promising  God  to 
do  some  good  work  in  order  to  win  His  Grace  or  to  thank  Him  for  benefits 
received  is  so  legitimate  and  natural  an  act  of  religion  that  Paul  would 
have  no  scruples  about  performing  it  ;  and  as  no  abrogation  of  such  cere- 
monies had  as  yet  been  inspired  by  the  Spirit  of  the  New  Covenant,  the 
Apostle  was  simply  fulfilling  this  pious  duty  in  the  Jewish  manner,  like 
the  Nazirites  of  the  Old  Testament. 


THIRD  MISSION  JOURNEY.- EPHESUS.         213 

and  from  one  devout  woman  named  Phoebe,  who  had 
consecrated  herself  to  the  service  of  the  Church,  he  met 
with  such  charitable  attentions,  that  all  his  life  long 
he  retained  the  most  grateful  remembrance  of  her  good- 
ness.i  On  the  vessel  which  was  to  bear  the  Apostle  to 
Ephesus,  Aquila  and  Priscilla  were  his  fellow  passengers. 
Their  business  had  not  prospered  very  well  at  Corinth, 
for  we  know  that  Paul,  their  fellow  worker  at  this  trade, 
to  the  very  last  had  only  been  able  to  eke  out  a  miserable 
pittance  from  his  toil.  Ephesus,  so  renowned  these 
many  years  past  for  its  manufacture  of  tents,^  seemed 
to  promise  a  more  favorable  field  for  their  industry  ;  the 
departure  of  the  Apostle  decided  them  to  accompany 
him  as  far  as  that  city. 

Once  there,  Paul  must  needs  bid  good  by  to  these  old 
friends  and  fellow  workers;  but  he  had  a  few  days  to 
spend  with  them  before  proceeding  on  his  journey, 
since  the  ship  lay  off  the  docks  of  Ephesus  long  enough 
for  him  to  present  himself  before  the  Synagogue.  As 
always,  overflowing  with  thoughts  of  Jesus,  he  spoke  on 
this  great  theme  to  his  brethren  of  Israel  with  a  pas- 
sion which  stirred  them  deeply.  All  "besought  him  to 
tarry  longer,  but  he  would  by  no  means  consent.  *  It  is 
absolutely  necessary,'  he  told  them,  '  that  I  should  cele- 
brate the  coming  Feast  in  Jerusalem.  I  shall  return  to 
you  again,  God  willing.'"  "He  set  forth  from  Ephesus 
by  sea  ;  and,  after  landing  at  Csesarea,  he  went  up  to  Je- 
rusalem, saluted  the  Church  there,  then  went  down  to 
Antioch,  where  he  remained  for  some  time." 

The  first  idea  that  strikes  us  from  reading  this  curt 
summary  is,  that  Paul  did  not  find  a  very  warm  wel- 
come awaiting  him  in  Jerusalem.^  But  the  state  of  the 
Mother  Church  was  not  one  likely  to  incline  him  to 
tarry  very  long.     It  remained  much  as  it  was  during  and 

1  Eom.  xvi.  1,  2. 

2  So  famous  were  they  that  Alcibiades  did  not  consider  his  equipment 
complete  until  it  could  boast  of  a  tent  from  Ephesus.  Plutarch,  Alcibiad., 
12;  Athenœus,  xii.  47. 

2  The  name  Jerusalem  is  not  so  much  as  mentioned;  kvaBds  alone 
stands  in  the  sacred  text  (Acts  xviii.  22). 


214  SAINT  PAUL. 

after  the  Assembly  at  Jerusalem,  —  accepting  resignedly 
the  concessions  which  the  Apostles  demanded  of  its 
members,  howbeit  regarding  them  as  a  mere  act  of  for- 
bearance toward  the  Gentiles,  and  still  contending  that 
for  themselves,  the  highest  point  of  honor  —  of  virtue  in- 
deed —  consisted  in  holding  to  the  strictest  interpretation 
of  Mosaical  rules  and  regulations.  Ever  since  the  rebuff 
of  their  zealous  emissaries  at  Antioch,  they  had  with- 
drawn into  the  privacy  of  their  own  social  circle,  and 
were  only  bent  on  leading  a  pious,  but  frigid  and  un- 
fruitful existence.  Paul  saw  at  a  glance  that  his  mis- 
sionary work,  with  the  freedom  of  conduct  he  had 
displayed  when  preaching  in  Asia  Minor  and  Greece, 
would  only  terrify  those  saints  who  clung  so  persistently 
to  the  Old  Covenant  ;  without  descending  to  the  slightest 
subterfuge,  he  deemed  his  duty  at  an  end  when  he  had 
duly  paid  his  respects  to  their  "  Assembly,"  and  visited 
the  Temple  for  the  performance  of  the  sacrifices  pre- 
scribed for  Nazirites  ;  immediately  thereafter  he  took  the 
road  for  Antioch. 

It  was  like  passing  from  the  chilly  shades  of  a  mourn- 
ful and  misty  sect  out  into  the  glad  daylight  of  the  Gos- 
pel; for  no  Church  shone  brighter  in  the  sunbeams  of 
Christianity  than  did  Antioch.  As  a  general  thing,  the 
disciples  of  these  parts  troubled  themselves  very  little  as 
to  whether  or  not  the  progress  their  Faith  was  making 
met  with  the  approval  of  the  Synagogue.  We  have  it 
from  Peter  himself,  who  first  founded  this  Church,  that 
Paul  was  in  an  especial  manner  their  Apostle,  "the 
Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  "  ;  ^  for  the  past  three  years  they 
had  lived  in  the  memory  of  his  deeds  and  words  :  great 
was  their  joy  at  beholding  him  once  more,  hearing  his 
speeches  full  both  of  the  triumphs  of  the  Gospel  and 
of  the  new  truths  that  had  been  revealed  to  him  in  the 
course  of  his  missionary  work. 

Paul  could  not  deny  them  the  consolation  of  his  pres- 
ence ;  he  even  prolonged  his  stay,  devoting  himself  mean- 
while to  Apostolic  labors,  for  nowhere  was  his  ministry 

I  Gal.  ii.  8. 


THIRD  MISSION  JOURNEY.  —  EPHESUS.         215 

busier  than  in  these  great  centres  of  the  world's  trade, 
where  navigation  and  the  long  caravans  from  the  interior 
poured  out  their  quota  of  foreigners  in  never  ending  suc- 
cession. Both  in  Macedonia  and  Greece  these  were  the 
cities  where  he  preached  longest,  and  where  he  founded 
the  principal  Churches.  Thessalonica  and  Corinth  were 
focuses  of  spiritual  light  and  warmth  for  all  the  outlying 
lands  to  the  West.  Antioch  stood  like  a  tower  of  light, 
illuminating  Syria  and  the  ways  to  the  far  East.  Just 
now  what  was  most  needed  was  such  another  centre  of 
influence  for  Asia  Minor.  The  passing  glance,  which  was 
all  Paul  had  had  time  to  devote  to  Ephesus  and  its  sur- 
roundings, had  been  enough  to  prove  to  him  that  it  was 
as  rich,  as  important  commercially,  and  as  populous  as 
either  Antioch  or  Corinth,  serving  quite  as  much  as  these 
cities  as  an  intermediary  between  East  and  West,  if  not 
more  so.  Thither  he  resolved  to  carry  the  Faith,  and 
accordingly  set  out  on  this  third  mission  journey,  taking 
with  him,  as  was  his  wont,  several  disciples. 

Silas  does  not  appear  at  his  side  ;  apparently  the  high 
rank  which  he  had  held  in  the  Church  of  Jerusalem,^  as 
also  certain  ties  which  sprang  up  again  on  his  return, 
detained  him  in  that  city  ;  ^  but,  though  deprived  of  his 
aid,  Paul  had  retained  some  of  his  faithful  fellow  trav- 
ellers, —  Timothy,  Erastus  of  Corinth,  with  the  Mace- 
donians Caius  and  Aristarchus,  who  had  served  him 
devotedly  at  Ephesus.^  All  of  them,  doubtless,  had  been 
with  him  on  the  voyage  from  Achaia  to  Jerusalem,  and 
now  shared  the  fatigues  of  travel  across  the  broad  high- 
lands of  Asia  Minor.4  Was  Titus  also  with  them? 
Paul,  as  we  shall   see  shortly,  recommends  him  to  the 

1  Acts  XV.  22. 

2  From  this  time  on  we  encounter  him  in  the  company  of  S.  Peter  ;  it 
was  he  who  carried  to  the  Churches  of  Asia  the  letter  which  the  Chief  of 
the  Apostles  wrote  them  from  Rome  (1  Peter  v.  12). 

3  Acts  xix.  22,  29  ;    1  Cor.  iv.  17  ;  xvi.  10. 

*  The  Acts  leaves  us  to  infer  as  much  concerning  Caius  and  Aristar- 
chus by  styling  them  "Paul's  fellow  travellers"  (Acts  xix.  29),  and  the 
context  would  lead  us  to  believe  the  same  concerning  Erastus,  who  was  a 
native  of  Corinth  (Rom.  xvi.  23),  as  well  as  of  Timothy,  who  accompanied 
the  Apostle  everywhere. 


216  SAINT  PAUL. 

kind  offices  of  the  Corinthians  "  as  his  partner  and  fellow 
laborer  in  the  work  among  them."  ^  If  we  are  to  un- 
derstand from  this  that  Titus  had  aided  the  Apostle  in 
evangelizing  Corinth,  it  is  only  natural  to  suppose  that 
he,  too,  leaving  that  city  in  his  company,  followed  him 
to  Jerusalem,  then  into  Galatia,^  and  with  him  entered 
Ephesus. 

The  little  band  set  out  by  the  same  route  that  Paul 
and  Silas  had  taken  in  the  preceding  missionary  under- 
taking. From  the  coasts  of  Cilicia  they  made  their  way 
up  through  the  mountain  passes  of  the  Taurus  and  over 
the  central  table-land  of  Asia  Minor.  On  the  way  Paul 
visited  the  Christian  congregations  of  Lycaonia,  Derbë, 
Lystra,  and  Iconium,  afterwards  those  of  Galatia  and 
Phrygia  ;  he  went  from  town  to  town  "  in  order,"  ^  the  Acts 
tells  us,  "thus  fortifying  the  disciples."  These  repeated 
acts  of  solicitous  affection  were  requisite  for  the  strength- 
ening of  their  faith,  for  we  know  from  certain  hints  in 
the  letter  addressed  to  the  Galatians  a  little  later  that 
the  cockle  had  begun  to  show  itself  amid  the  wheat  even 
during  his  last  visit  among  them.  He  speaks  of  a 
gospel  differing  from  his  own  which  at  that  time  certain 
impostors  were  trying  to  palm  off  upon  the  people.^  The 
Judaizers  from  Jerusalem,  who  were  soon  to  disturb  the 
peace  of  these  Churches,  had  not  appeared  on  the  scene 
as  yet  ;  but  the  Jews  of  those  parts  let  slip  no  oppor- 
tunity of  sowing  confusion  by  demanding  to  know  what 
right  the  disciples  had  to  mutilate  the  perfection  of 
Mosaism. 

With  a  strong  hand,  Paul  put  a  stop  to  the  evil,  utter- 
ing his  anathemas  against  the  fomenters  of  such  dis- 

1  2  Cor.  viii.  23. 

2  In  his  letter  to  the  Galatians,  Paul  speaks  of  Titus  as  a  person  well 
known  to  them.  Now  they  could  not  have  met  him  in  the  Apostle's  com- 
pany except  during  this  third  missionary  journey,  for  in  the  preceding  one 
Paul  had  no  companions  in  the  work  of  evangelizing  this  region,  save 
Silas  and  Timothy  (Acts  xv.  40;  xvi.  1,  3,  4,  6). 

2  Ka0e|7js,  successively,  according  to  an  order  determined  beforehand. 

*  Gal.  i.  9.  "  I  have  told  you  this,  and  I  tell  you  once  again,  If  any 
one  declare  unto  you  a  gospel  different  from  that  which  you  have 
received,  let  him  be  anathema." 


THIRD  MISSION  JO  URNE  Y.  —  EPHES  US.         217 

orders,^  recalling  such  as  had  been  led  astray  by  them 
with  so  much  authority  that  for  many  a  long  day  they 
continued  to  refer  to  his  admonitions.  Indeed,  so  deep 
was  the  impression  they  made  that  three  years  later  he 
feels  forced  to  utter  this  reproach  :  "  Am  I  then  become 
your  enemy  because  I  have  told  you  the  truth  ?  "  ^  Such 
feelings  of  resentment,  however,  did  not  find  a  voice  till 
after  the  Apostle's  departure  ;  while  he  was  present,  "  all 
showed  themselves  zealous  in  the  good  cause  "  ;  ^  his 
sermons  overmastered  their  minds;  the  generosity,  nay, 
the  tenderness,  of  his  love  for  them  touched  the  very 
depths  of  their  hearts  ;  they  forgot  the  blunt  plainness  of 
his  language,  overwhelmed  by  the  truths  with  which  it 
palpitated,  —  this  Heavenly  Jerusalem  on  High,'^  the 
Israel  of  God,^  with  Jesus  so  marvellously  depicted  that 
His  Cross  seemed  to  rise  up  before  their  very  eyes.^ 

These  easily  moved,  but  at  the  same  time  sincere  and 
upright  Christians,  returned  at  once  to  the  calm  and 
purity  of  the  Faith.  Later  on  Paul  bore  witness  to  their 
high  character  and  how  they  once  more  "  were  obedient 
to  the  truth  and  were  running  the  race  in  the  eagerness 
of  their  fervor."  ^  He  profited  by  their  good  intentions 
to  organize  that  collection  destined  for  the  Church  at 
Jerusalem  which  soon  we  shall  find  occupying  a  great 
deal  of  his  attention  and  involving  an  additional  care 
in   his  ministry.^ 

Paul  left  Phrygian  territory  at  the  very  point  where 
two  years  earlier  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  had  risen  as  a  bar- 
rier between  him  and  the  Province  of  Asia.  There  was 
no  longer  any  interdict  lying  over  this  beautiful  and 
populous  region,  and  he  was  free  to  execute  the  plans  he 
had  conceived  when  passing  through  Ephesus,  —  plans 
of  evangelizing  that  city.  The  volcanic  mountains  which 
form  Phrygia's  western  frontier  send  out  toward  the 
Archipelago  several  offshoots,  between  which   flow   the 

1  Gal.  i.  9.  5  Gal.  vi.  16. 

2  Gal.  iv.  16.  6  Gal  iii.  1. 
8  Gal.  iv.  18.  7  Gal.  v.  7. 

4  Gal.  IV.  26,  8  1  Cor.  xiv.  1. 


218  SAINT  PAUL. 

Hermus  and  Meander.^  It  was  the  latter  of  these  val- 
leys through  which  passed  the  main  highway  leading 
from  the  highlands  of  the  middle  country  down  to 
Ephesus.  Paul,  so  far  as  we  are  able  to  judge,  did  not 
turn  southward  in  order  to  profit  by  this  highway.^ 
From  the  Phrygian  frontier  his  shortest  way  was  to 
follow  the  course  of  the  Hermus  through  Synnada  and 
Sardis,  and  thence  cross  the  chain  which  separates  the 
Hermus  from  the  Cayster,  and  so  descend  to  the  second- 
ary basin  watered  by  this  little  stream. 

Here  stands  Ephesus  in  the  loveliest  valley  on  the 
Ionian  coasts,  "  the  wide  field  of  Asia  "  whose  praises 
Homer  sings.^  The  Cayster,  on  issuing  from  a  ravine  in 
the  hills  to  the  east,  washes  the  graceful  curves  of  the 
river  banks  and  expands  here  and  there  along  a  stretch 
of  luxuriant  marsh-land,  dotted  over  with  swans  whose 
snowy  whiteness  was  renowned.*  Except  to  the  East, 
where  the  Archipelago  makes  a  glowing  bit  of  color,  the 
landscape  is  framed  in  on  all  sides  by  mountains  rising 
in  bold  peaks  or  stretching  out  in  undulating  lines  far 
as  the  eye  can  see  in  the  luminous  atmosphere.^ 

Ephesus  stood  between  the  Cayster  and  the  southern 
range,  the  Prion,  lying  partly  along  the  slopes  of  this 
mountain,  partly  upon  the  hill  of  Coressus  which  stands 

1  The  first  mentioned  stream  empties  into  the  Gulf  of  Smyrna,  the 
latter  not  far  from  Miletus. 

2  The  language  used  by  Paul  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians  (ii.  1  ) 
substantiates  this  opinion,  for  there  the  Apostle  gives  us  to  understand 
in  plain  terms  that  he  had  never  visited  the  city  of  Colossse,  through 
which  this  highway  passed. 

3  Homer,  Iliad,  ii.  461. 

4  Homer,  Iliad,  ii.  4.59.  Vergil,  ^neid,  vii.  699  et  seq.  ;  Georg.,  i.  .383 
et  seq.     Ovid,  Met.,  v.  386  et  seq. 

5  This  plain  is  of  no  great  extent  (some  two  leagues  in  length  by  one 
in  breadth),  and  is  shut  in  on  the  north  by  the  cliain  of  Gallesius,  on  the 
soutli  by  that  of  Prion,  and  on  the  east  by  Mt.  Pactyas.  Coressus,  a  hill 
of  circular  form,  rises  alone  in  front  of  the  Prion  range  ;  the  valley  lying 
between  them  was  embraced  by  the  city  lines  of  Ephesus.  To  the  north- 
west of  Coressus  rise  other  heights,  like  the  former  isolated  from  the 
mountains  which  surround  the  plain.  This  is  A'ia-Solouk,  where  now  are 
to  be  seen  the  ruins  of  the  great  Mussulman  town  which  once  replaced 
the  ancient  city  ;  here  too  there  is  now  a  poor  village,  near  the  station  for 
Ephesus  on  the  railway  running  between  Smyrna  and  Aidin. 


THIRD   MISSION  JO  URNE  Y.  —  EPHES  US.  219 

detached  from  it,  but  occupying  for  the  most  part  the 
plain  which  extends  from  the  foot  of  this  latter  eminence 
down  to  the  marshy  lake  which  was  now  become  the 
harbor  for  the  city.^  In  this  locality,  the  veritable  heart 
of  the  town,  were  to  be  found  the  principal  places  of 
resort,  —  the  Agora,  the  Circus,  and  the  Theatre,  hollowed 
out  and  raised  in  tiers  along  the  flanks  of  Coressus.^  All 
along  below  these  edifices  the  tide  of  commerce  ebbed 
and  flowed  ;  for  Ephesus  was  one  of  the  busiest  marts  of 
the  world,  and  its  harbor,  though  gradually  filling  up,^ 
was  still  one  of  the  most  approachable  and  the  largest 
along  the  Asiatic  shores.  Merchantmen  from  Italy, 
Greece,  and  all  points  along  the  Mediterranean  came 
thither  to  traffic  with  the  caravans  from  the  far  East. 
When  Saint  John,  at  Patmos,  wished  to  describe  the 
riches  hoarded  up  in  the  great  cities  of  the  Koman 
Empire,*  he  invoked  the  memory  of  the  great  warehouses 
of  Ephesus  :  there,  more  than  elsewhere,  he  had  seen  the 
heaped  up  affluence  of  their  "  merchandise  of  gold,  sil- 
ver, precious  stones,  fine  linen,  purple,  silk  and  scarlet, 
all  sorts  of  sweet-smelling  woods,  furniture  of  ivory  and 
precious  wares   of   iron    and   marble,   cinnamon,  spices, 

1  Falkener,  Ephesus,  pp.  119  et  seq.,  149  et  seq.     C£.  Guhl's  Ephesiaca. 

2  This  theatre  was  one  of  the  largest  ever  constructed  by  the  Greeks. 
It  accommodated  56,700  spectators,  according  to  Falkener  {Ephesus, 
pp.  102  et  seq.)  ;  24,500,  according  to  Wood  (Discoveries  at  Ephesus, 
p.  68).  The  tiers,  cut  in  a  semicircle  from  the  sides  of  Coressus,  are  still 
visible  ;  the  stage  stood  on  the  plain,  at  the  foot  of  this  hill  (Falkener, 
Ephesus,  p.  102).  See  photographs  in  Svoboda's  Remains  of  the  Seven 
Churches  of  Asia. 

3  Strabo,  xiv.  i.  24. 

*  The  Babylon  which  the  Apocalypse  describes  in  these  glowing  terms 
is  something  more  than  the  mere  city  of  Rome  itself  ;  it  is  the  Goddess 
Roma,  with  her  mighty  Empire  and  all  the  great  commercial  centres 
which  were  but  the  extension  of  her  glory  and  opulence.  In  the  downfall 
of  this  mistress  of  the  world  was  involved  that  of  her  provinces  and  mari- 
time cities,  with  which  she  was  bound  by  ties  of  traffic.  S.  John's 
lamentations  refer  to  the  latter,  rather  than  to  a  town  situated  like  Rome, 
at  a  distance  from  the  sea  :  "  All  the  pilots  and  they  that  sail  upon  the 
sea,  the  mariners  and  all  such  as  are  busied  on  board^  of  ships,  stood  afar 
off  from  her  and  cried  out,  seeing  the  smoke  of  her  burning.  .  .  .  Alas  ! 
alas  !  that  great  city,  who  from  her  abundance  hath  enriched  all  those 
that  had  ships  upon  the  sea,  in  a  moment  hath  she  been  made  desolate." 
Apoc.  xviii.  17-19. 


220  SAINT  PAUL. 

perfumes,  aromatic   oils,  wine,  fine  flour,  wheat,   cattle, 
sheep,  horses,  chariots,  slaves,  and  freemen."  ^ 

Over  and  above  the  importance  which  Ephesus  enjoyed 
owing  to  its  immense  commercial  interests,  its  greatest 
celebrity  emanated  from  quite  another  source,  —  the  wor- 
ship of  Diana,  which  had  caused  it  to  be  considered  as  one 
of  the  sacred  cities  of  Heathendom.  The  temple  of  the 
Goddess  stood  outside  the  town,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill 
known  nowadays  as  Aia-Solouk}  The  ancient  sanctuary 
had  been  burned  by  Erostratus,  but  a  splendid  monument 
had  now  risen  on  its  site.^  For  a  period  of  two  hundred 
and  twenty  years  all  Asia  had  been  furnishing  the  ex- 
penses for  rebuilding  it,  even  the  women  contributing 
their  jewelry.'^  The  result  of  these  liberal  gifts  was  to 
be  seen  in  a  work  justly  ranked  among  the  seven  won- 
ders of  the  world  ;  ^  for  stupendous  feats  of  architecture 
were  here  in  abundance  :  the  colonnade  of  the  temple 
with  its  hundred  and  twenty-six  columns  gracefully 
carved  in  the  Ionic  style,^  each  one  the  gift  of  a  king  ;'^ 
the  sanctuary  doors  of  massive  cypress- wood  ;  ^  the  frame- 
work of  such  gigantic  dimensions  that  only  the  Goddess 
(so  the  story  ran)  had  succeeded  in  setting  it  in  its 
place  ;  ^  the  stairway  leading  to  the  summit,  cut  from  a 
single  vine  of  Cyprus.^^  Beside  these  marvels  of  inge- 
nuity, art  had  bestowed  some  of  its  most  beautiful  treas- 
ures ;  Polycletus,  Praxiteles,  and  Phidias  were  represented 
by   groups  of   statuary  and  bas-reliefs  ;   Apelles  by  his 


1  Apoc.  xviii.  12,  13. 

2  The  site  of  this  temple  has  lately  been  discovered  by  Mr.  Wood,  and 
thus  the  descrption  given  of  it  by  Pliny  {Hist.  Nat.,  xxxvi.  21)  could  be 
verified  in  many  particulars.     See  Wood's  Ephesus,  pp.  267  et  seq. 

^  According  to  Pliny's  account,  this  was  the  seveuth  time  the  temple 
had  been  burned  {Hist.  Nat.,  xvi.  79). 
4  Pliny,  Hist.  Nat.,  xxxvi.  21. 
^  Philo  of  Byzantium,  De  Septem  Orbis  Spectaculis,  7. 

6  "  lones  Dianse  constituere  œdem  quaerentes,  novi  generis  speciem  ad 
muliebrem  transtulerunt  gracilitatem."     Vitruvius,  iv.  1, 

7  Pliny,  Hist.  Nat.,  xxxvi.  21  . 

8  Ibid  ,  xvi.  79;  Theophrastus,  Hist.  Plant.,  v.  5. 

9  Pliny,  Hist.  Nat.,  xxxvi.  21. 
10  Ibid.,  xiv.  2. 


THIRD  MISSION  JOURNEY.  — EPHESUS.  221 

masterpiece,  a  portrait  of  Alexander  holding  the  thun- 
derbolt.^ 

The  divinity  to  whom  men  were  so  eager  to  do  homage 
stood  shrouded  in  her  veil  of  purple,  at  the  very  extrem- 
ity of  the  shrine.  The  Greeks,  accustomed  to  their  own 
ideal  of  the  Huntress  Diana,  lightly  built  and  lightly  clad, 
were  well  aware  that  they  lost  nothing  by  this  veil  of 
mystery,  for  the  Artemis  of  Ephesus  had  nothing  to  offer 
the  sight-seer  more  than  a  monstrous  symbol.  The  lower 
part  of  the  idol,  as  far  as  the  waist,  consisted  of  a  rude 
sheathing  covered  with  magical  inscriptions,  the  bust  was 
formed  of  a  serried  array  of  paps,  the  head  encircled  by 
a  crown  of  turrets,  and  the  arms  resting  on  two  clubs, 
alone  had  a  human  shape. '^  It  was  said  to  have  fallen 
from  the  skies  ;  ^  in  reality  it  was  one  of  those  rude 
fetiches  with  which  the  sanctuaries  of  Asia  were  filled, 
—  like  the  cone  which  we  saw  at  Paphos  worshipped  as 
the  emblem  of  Aphrodite,*  or  the  black  stone  of  Pes- 
sinus,  which  stood  for  a  figure  of  Cybele.^  But  far  more 
than  its  form,  the  unclean  rites  whereof  this  idol  was  the 
object  would  alone  betray  its  Oriental  origin.  Her  priests, 
the  Megabyses,  were  wretched  eunuchs,  in  whose  train 
was  a  swarm  of  priestesses  and  slaves  dedicated  to  the 
temple  and  living  on  its  wealth.^  This  shameless  crew, 
leading  a  life  of  endless  feast-making,  distracted  the  town 
with  their  processions  and  bacchanal  dances,  which  were 
enough  to  encourage  a  state  of  the  worst  debauchery  :  ^ 
there  was  a  fatal  seductiveness  about  them,  especially  in 
a  great  seaport  like  this,  where  the  crowds  of  strangers, 
ever  changing  and  hailing  from  all  quarters,  furnished 

1  Pliny,  Hist.  Nat.,  xxxiv.  19  ;  xxxv.  36. 

'■^  "  Scribebat  Paulus  ad  Ephesios  Dianam  colentes,  non  banc  venatri- 
cem,  quae  arcum  tenet  atque  succincta  est,  sed  illam  multimammiam, 
quam  TroXvixaariiv  vocant."     S.  Jerome,  Proam.  ad  Ephes. 

3  Acts  xix.  35. 

4  According  to  Curtius,  the  Diana  of  Ephesus  was  the  Phœnicîan 
Astartë  under  another  name.  Die  griechische  Gotterlehre  vom  geschicht- 
lichen  Standpunkt. 

5  See  Chapter  IV.  p.  100. 

6  Strabo,  xiv.  i.  20,  23  ;  Tacitus,  Ann.,  iii.  61. 

'  Philostratus,  Vita  ApolL,  iv.  2  ;  Achilles  Tatius,  vi.  363. 


222  SAINT  PAUL. 

ever  new  fuel  to  kindle  the  flames  of  passion.  Very 
many  nameless  vagabonds  mingled  in  the  throng  ;  for  the 
temple  of  Artemis,  with  its  rights  of  sanctuary  extending 
six  hundred  feet  round  about  the  walls,  furnished  a  most 
attractive  refuge  for  the  criminals  of  the  whole  country.-^ 
Great  fortunes,  quickly  made  in  these  surroundings,  went 
to  the  support  of  a  luxurious  and  pleasure  loving  society  : 
musicians,  actors,  dancers,  and  courtesans  stimulated  the 
excitement  by  their  excesses.  Though  in  less  general 
disrepute,  the  conduct  of  life  in  this  city  was  not  a  whit 
better  than  that  of  Corinth,  for  the  mildness  of  the  cli- 
mate in  conjunction  with  the  fertility  of  the  country 
helped  on  the  work  of  corruption.  It  is  needless  to  add, 
that  no  serious  studies  occupied  minds  so  deeply  debased  : 
Ephesus  had  given  its  name  to  the  lightest  product  of 
literature,  frivolous  love  tales.^ 

A  town  so  active  and  opulent  as  this  was  just  the  one 
to  attract  the  people  of  Israel.^  Their  aptitude  for  busi- 
ness, their  moral  dignity  and  unity  of  race  feeling,  raised 
them  above  the  populace  with  its  loose  manners  and 
questionable  origin.  They  won  for  themselves  high  rank 
and  forced  others  to  respect  them  here  as  elsewhere  by  a 
politic  reliance  on  Eome's  protection.  Ephesus,  indeed, 
as  the  capital  of  the  Province  of  Asia,  was  the  residence 
of  the  Proconsul  and  other  Eoman  functionaries  ;  it  had 
a  government  of  its  own,  but  always  under  Imperial  su- 
pervision, and  only  retained  its  autonomy  on  the  condi- 
tion that  no  abuses  should  be  allowed  to  creep  in.  The 
Jews  reaped  the  greatest  advantage  from  their  adminis- 
tration of  justice,  which  was  usually  alike  firm  and 
impartial. 

Their  prosperity  here  in  Ephesus  was  known  far  and 
wide.     We  have  seen  Aquila  and  Priscilla  setting  out 

1  Strabo,  xiv.  i.  23. 

2  'E<|)6(rm/cà  to  koto  'hvQlav  Koi  'AfipoKofi-riv  is  the  title  Xenophon  of 
Ephesus  gave  his  romance.  The  city  shared  this  notoriety  with  Miletus, 
its  near  neighbor.  The  Milesia  Carmina  (Ovid,  Trist.,\\.  413)  and  the 
Sermo  Milesius  (J.  Capitolinus,  Clodius  Albinus,  12)  were  celebrated  for 
their  licentious  tone. 

^  Josephus,  ^nfî^.  Jud.,  xiy.  x.  11,  12,  13,  16,  19,  2.5;  xvi.  vi.  4-7; 
Philo,  Leg.,  840. 


THIRD  MISSION  JOURNEY.- EPHESUS.         223 

for  Corinth  in  order  to  cast  in  their  fortunes  with  this 
community.  About  the  same  time  another  Jew,  Apollos 
by  name,  was  landed  on  a  wharf  of  Ephesus.  This 
stranger  was  a  native  of  Alexandria,  and  had  imbibed 
considerable  Scriptural  learning  in  the  schools  of  that 
city  ;  ^  he  excelled  in  the  art  of  commentating  them,  evi- 
dencing a  loftiness  of  views  and  an  eloquence  very  rarely 
to  be  found  among  the  Eabbis.^  His  ardent  faith  had 
diverted  his  interest  from  the  material  occupations  which 
were  then  absorbing  every  activity  of  his  fellow  country- 
men in  general  ;  he  had  resolved  to  become  a  missionary, 
and  was  now  going  from  town  to  town  preaching  of  God 
and  His  holy  word.  Certain  of  John's  disciples  whom 
he  encountered  in  the  course  of  his  travels  told  him  that 
their  Master  had  been  the  first  to  recognize  the  prom- 
ised Messiah  on  the  banks  of  Jordan,  and  had  forthwith 
proclaimed  His  Advent  in  the  presence  of  all  Israel. 
These  companions  of  the  Forerunner,  who  very  probably 
had  been  scattered  after  his  death,  had  been  enabled  to 
follow  the  matter  and  effects  of  Jesus's  preaching  only 
from  afar  and  imperfectly.  They  tried  to  direct  Apollos 
in  "  the  Way  of  the  Lord,"  ^  but  they  knew  only  its 
broadest  outlines  ;  on  many  points  their  teaching  was 
incomplete,  notably  as  concerned  Baptism,  for  they  knew 
of  none  save  that  of  John. 

For  all  this,  Apollos  did  not  fail  to  form  from  these  few 
features  a  very  clear  notion  of  Christianity.  Therein  he 
beheld  the  Messiah  as  poor,  lowly,  and  despised,  work- 
ing out  man's  salvation  by  His  sufferings  and  death  ;  he 
recognized  the  true  meaning  of  Isaiah's  oracle  in  that 
Lamb  of  God  bearing  the  sins  of  the  world,*  and  the  ful- 
filment of  other  prophecies  in  the  facts  which  constituted 

1  Philo,  one  of  his  contemporaries,  had  studied  in  the  same  schools  ; 
for  charm  of  style  and  elevation  of  mind  he  often  reminds  us  of  Plato  : 
'*  De  hoc  vulgo  apud  Graecos  dicitur,  ^  UKaTov  <pi\cûuî(ei,  i^  ^iXœv  irXaru- 
vi(€i."  (S.  Jerome,  De  Vir.  Illust.,  cap.  xi.)  Though  not  attaining  to  any- 
such  perfection  as  this,  the  ease  and  fluency  with  which  Apollos  must  have 
developed  his  thoughts  would  be  sure  to  lend  him  great  authority  among 
the  humbler  brethren  who  surrounded  him. 

'•^  Acts  xviii.  24,  25. 

3  Acts  xviii.  26.  4  Is.  liii.  ;  John  i.  29,  36. 


224  SAINT  PAUL. 

the  greatest  stumbling-blocks  for  liis  Israelitish  brethren. 
His  erudition,  so  profound  and  far  reaching,  enabled  him 
to  compare  the  passages  from  Scripture,  drawing  new 
light  from  their  juxtaposition,  and  illuminating  his  work 
by  references  to  traditions  and  Eabbinical  commentaries. 
In  this  Scribe,  who  was  still  but  half  Christian,  —  in  his 
soul  and  his  heart's  desires  rather  than  in  the  full  knowl- 
edge of  the  Faith,  —  Grace  was  working  a  wondrous 
change,  whereby,  "being  fervent  in  spirit,  he  proceeded 
to  explain  and  teach  with  exactness  all  that  concerns 
Jesus."  1 

Apollos  found  the  synagogue  of  Ephesus  well  disposed 
to  hear  him,  for  Paul,  during  his  short  stop  in  this  city, 
had  sown  the  first  seeds  of  Faith,  while,  on  the  other 
hand,  Aquila  and  Priscilla,  albeit  so  taken  up  with  their 
trade  and  the  struggle  for  the  bare  necessities  of  exist- 
ence, were  losing  no  opportunities  for  communicating 
their  faith  to  all  new  acquaintances.  This  handful  of 
believers,  with  no  means  as  yet  of  maintaining  any  ex- 
ternal ties,  remained  unnoticed  among  the  many  Jews 
of  Ephesus,  and  continued  to  frequent  their  sanctuary. 
There  they  were  on  the  day  that  Apollos  appeared  in  the 
pulpit  of  the  synagogue.  The  Alexandrian  Doctor  spoke 
out  boldly,^  "  preaching  the  way  of  the  Lord  "  as  John 
Baptist  knew  it,  and  as  Jesus  Himself  described  it  at  the 
outset  of  His  Ministry,  when  His  preaching  was  still  but 
the  echo  of  His  Precursor's  words  :  "  Do  penance,  for  the 
Kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand."  ^  Great  was  the  joy  of 
Aquila  and  Priscilla  as  they  listened  to  this  master  in 
Israel,  but  their  astonishment  only  increased  on  finding 
that  his  preaching  was  but  a  bare  outline  of  their  beliefs. 
The  highest  truths  of  Christianity  appeared  to  be  quite 
unknown  to  him  ;  the  only  duty  he  impressed  upon  his 
hearers  was  the  baptism  of  John,  a  baptism  in  water  as  a 
token  of  repentance.  After  the  meeting  was  over  they 
met  Apollos  as  he  was  coming  out  of  the  synagogue,  and 
invited  him  to  their  house,  where  ''  they  instructed  him 
with  greater  fulness  concerning  the  Way  of  the  Lord."  * 

1  Acts  xviii.  25.  ^  Matt.  iv.  17  ;  Mark  i.  15. 

2  Acts  xviii.  26.  *  Acts  xviii.  26. 


THIRD  MISSION  JOURNEY. -EPHESUS.         225 

The  teaching  of  these  two  artisans  comprised,  not 
simply  the  spoken  Gospel  engraved  on  the  memory  of  all 
lovers  of  Jesus,  but,  besides  this,  the  doctrine  which  Paul 
had  been  explaining  for  more  than  two  years  in  their 
workshop  at  Corinth.  Thus  at  last  Apollos  was  made 
acquainted  with  the  whole  body  of  Eevelation  then 
known  to  the  Church,  but  without  any  orderly  exposi- 
tion however,  with  no  connecting  links  in  the  reasoning, 
and  only  under  the  popular  form  in  which  the  familiar 
conversations  of  his  humble  hosts  clothed  it  withal.  But 
it  was  enough  to  make  him  conceive  a  longing  to  visit  the 
Church  of  Corinth,  instructed  by  Paul  himself,  there  to 
converse  with  the  pastors  formed  under  the  Apostle's  eye 
that  they  might  be  fit  preachers  of  the  Gospel.  Aquila 
and  Priscilla  encouraged  him  in  this  plan.  Proud  of  the 
eloquence  of  Apollos,  and  of  the  learning  and  tact  he 
displayed  in  marshalling  all  Scripture  in  the  support  of 
Christ's  cause,  they  were  only  too  happy  at  the  thought 
of  showing  this  conquest  to  the  Churches  of  Achaia,  and 
thus  furnishing  them  with  so  able  an  assistant.  Accord- 
ingly this  humble  fraternity  at  Ephesus  wrote  to  their 
fellow  believers  of  Corinth,  loading  the  new  convert  with 
praise,  and  exhorting  the  brethren  to  give  him  kindly 
welcome.^  It  was  a  fortunate  inspiration,  for  after  Paul's 
departure  the  Synagogue  of  Corinth  had  begun  its  attacks 
anew,  and  "  by  the  grace  of  God  Apollos  did  good  service 
to  the  faithful  there."  2 

Just  about  this  time  Paul  arrived  at  Ephesus.  His 
first  care  was  to  seek  out  Aquila  and  Priscilla.  He  found 
them  settled  in  the  working  classes'  quarter,  very  likely 
in  the  poor  suburb  lying  between  Coressus  and  the  slopes 
of  Aia-Solouk.  The  Christians  found  in  such  numbers 
hereabouts   are   indeed  enough  to  prove  that  here  were 

1  The  Codex  Bezae  contains  the  following  reading,  which  forms  an 
interesting  commentary  on  the  Sacred  Text:  "Certain  Corinthians,  hap- 
pening to  be  in  Ephesus  at  this  time,  listened  to  Apollos,  and  made  him 
promise  to  return  with  them  to  their  country.  When  the  latter  consented, 
the  Ephesians  wrote  to  the  disciples  at  Corinth  asking  them  to  receive 
him.     And  when  he  had  come  into  Achaia  he  aided  the  Church  much." 

2  Acts  xviii.  27. 

15 


226  SAINT  PAUL. 

the  dwellings  of  the  earliest  believers,  and  that  here 
Paul  lived  during  the  two  years  of  his  stay.^  Howbeit 
neither  his  name  nor  his  memory  was  to  cause  this  part 
of  Ephesus  to  be  held  in  such  renown  in  after  days. 
Another  Apostle,  John  the  Evangelist,  was  to  betake 
himself  hither  shortly,  and  here  end  his  days.  His  tomb, 
venerated  by  all  Christendom,  gave  to  the  hill  where 
it  was  hollowed  out  the  name  of  the  beloved  disciple 
and  holy  Theologian  (Agios  Theologos,  Ata-Solouk^),  as 
the  ancients  called  him.  Later  on.  Christian  Ephesus 
began  to  cluster  around  this  tomb,  for  the  ancient  city 
began  to  be  depopulated  as  day  by  day  the  harbor  filled 
up  and  was  transformed  into  a  marsh.  Gradually  soli- 
tude reigned  over  this  centre  and  stronghold  of  pes- 
tilence :  dwelling-houses,  theatres,  temples,  were  left 
behind  and  forsaken  ;  the  marbles  of  these  monuments, 
soon  the  prey  of  the  pillagers,  went  to  adorn  Constanti- 
nople, Pisa,  and  the  Saracen  cities.  Standing  alone,  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  fever-stricken  plain,  Aïa-Solouk  still 
survived  as  a  considerable  town  down  to  the  early  days 
of  Turkish  domination,  but  reduced  in  our  times  to  a 
miserable  hamlet,  the  sole  vestige  of  Ephesus  in  those 
waste  places. 

Paul  sought  out  his  former  hosts,  in  order  to  resume 
the  trade  which  he  plied  in  every  new  stopping-place  ; 
he  toiled  the  harder,  since  "  with  his  own  hands  he  had 
to  furnish  what  was  necessary  for  himself  and  his  com- 
panions "  ;  ^  but  here  even  more  than  at  Corinth,  and 
despite  his  ceaseless  labors,  such  wages  as  he  could  earn 
by  tent-making  did  not  suffice  to  ward  off  poverty  from 
his  door.  Toward  the  close  of  his  sojourn  at  Ephesus 
Paul  acquainted  the  Corinthians  with  the  sad  news  of  his 
hardships  :  "  without  daily  bread,  without  assurance  of 
a  lodging-place,  wretchedly  clad,  maltreated  by  the  work- 
ing people  among  whom  he  was  trying  to  gain  a  liveli- 

i  Eusebius,  Historia  Ecclesiastica,  iii.  39  ;  v.  24,  Procopius,  De  ^dif., 
V.  1. 

2  "Ayios  ©eohSyos,  in  Arabic  written  Aj/a  Tholog,  finally  became  Aya 
Soidouk,  in  accordance  with  Turkish  pronunciation. 

3  Acts  XX.  34. 


THIRD  MISSION  JOURNEY.— EPHESUS.        227 

hood  ;  insults,  slanders,  blows,  —  he  was  spared  nothing  ; 
he  was  treated  as  the  refuse  of  the  earth,  the  offscour- 
ings of  the  world."  ^  So  precarious  a  position  in  the 
course  of  a  mission  which  met  with  great  success  is  only 
to  be  explained  by  the  Apostle's  persistent  refusal  to 
receive  anything  from  his  followers.  Standing  on  the 
beach  at  Miletus,  he  reminds  the  Elders  of  Ephesus  of 
all  this  :  "  I  have  not  been  willing  to  accept  either  silver 
or  gold  or  garments  from  any  one.  You  yourselves  know 
that  these  hands  which  you  see  have  furnished  every- 
thing for  my  needs."  " 

Such  disinterested  zeal  invested  Paul  with  a  grandeur 
something  more  than  human  in  the  eyes  of  his  brethren 
of  Israel,  who  were  too  commonly  covetous  and  selfish. 
From  his  first  arrival  his  influence  ^ook  possession  of 
them,  nor  did  he  need  at  Ephesus,  as  elsewhere,  to  make 
himself  known  in  order  to  get  a  hearing.  The  announce- 
ment of  the  Messiah,  uttered  during  his  former  short 
stay,  his  promise  to  return  speedily  and  explain  the  Glad 
Tidings,  this,  with  the  preaching  of  Apollos,  all  tend- 
ing to  the  same  end,  had  excited  popular  curiosity 
"  Paul,  entering  the  synagogue,  therefore,  spoke  with  free- 
dom and  hardihood  ;  for  the  space  of  three  months  he 
discussed  with  the  Jews,  and  strove  to  persuade  them  of 
the  things  of  God's  Kingdom."  ^  His  first  conquest  *  was 
a  Jew  named  Epenetus,  whom  we  shall  soon  meet  again 
in  Kome,  whither  Paul  sends  him  greetings  as  "  his  well 
beloved  and  the  first-fruits  of  Asia  ^  in  the  Christ."  ^ 

Almost  at  the  same  time  that  he  began  this  work  of 
preaching,  Paul  assumed  the  direction  of  the  little  fra- 
ternity which  had  been  in  process  of  formation  before  his 

1  1  Cor.  iv.  11-13.  3  Acts  xix.  8. 

2  Acts  XX.  33,  34. 

4  This  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  is  styled  airapxh  ttjs  'Ac/as. 
We  know  that  in  his  various  missions  Paul  was  wont  to  address  the  Jews 
at  the  outset,  and  thus  the  earliest  converts  naturally  came  from  their 
ranks.  Furthermore,  in  Romans  Epenetus  is  mentioned  among  the  dis- 
ciples who  had  belonged  to  Judaism. 

^  The  reading  àirapxh  t^s  'Ac/as,  and  not  ttjs  'Axaias,  is  that  of  the 
best  manuscripts. 

^  Rom.  xvi.  5, 


228  SAINT  PAUL. 

coming  to  Ephesus.  Although  calling  themselves  "  dis- 
ciples," ^  and  regarded  as  such,  this  nucleus  of  a  church 
bore  scarcely  any  likeness  to  the  Christian  communities 
founded  by  the  Apostles  ;  no  pastors  acted  as  leaders, 
and  no  regular  form  of  teaching  was  in  vogue  ;  belief  in 
Christ  kept  their  hearts  united,  but  the  Gospel  was  but 
imperfectly  known  or  understood.  The  Apostle  had 
proofs  of  this  almost  from  the  first  days.  A  group  of 
neophytes  attracted  his  attention  because,  as  it  would 
seem,  of  the  austere  and  retired  life  they  led  ;  ^  no  ray  of 
that  gladness  he  was  wont  to  note  among  Christians 
irradiated  their  sad  countenances. 

"Have  you  received  the  Holy  Spirit,"  he  asked  them, 
"  since  you  believed  ?  " 

"  We  have  not  so  much  as  heard  that  there  is  a  Holy 
Spirit,"  was  the  response. 

"  Then  what  Baptism  have  you  received  ?  " 

"The  Baptism  of  John,"  they  answered. 

Thereupon  Paul  told  them,  "John  baptized  with  the 
Baptism  of  Penance,  saying  to  the  people  that  they  must 
believe  in  Him  Who  should  come  after  him,  —  that  is  to 
say,  in  Jesus." 

"  When  they  heard  these  words,  they  were  baptized  in 
the  Name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  after  Paul  had  laid  his 
hands  upon  them,  the  Holy  Ghost  descended  on  them, 
and  they  spake  with  various  tongues  and  prophesied."  ^ 

Saint  Luke  adds  this  note^  to  the  record  :  "  In  all  they 
were  about  twelve,"  —  a  goodly  number  for  any  newly 
organized  body.  From  whatever  source  they  had  ob- 
tained their  knowledge  of  the  Faith,  whether  from  Apol- 
los,  or  some  one  else  who  had  heard  John  preach,^  they 

1  Acts  xix.  1 . 

'^  The  ignorance  of  these  disciples  can  only  be  explained  by  the  fact 
of  the  absolute  isolation  in  which  they  lived,  after  the  example  of  John 
Baptist  in  the  desert  ;  they  fasted,  prayed,  and  worked  in  this  retire- 
ment, like  the  Thérapeutes  of  Egypt  and  the  Essenes  of  Palestine. 

3  Acts  xix.  1-6. 

^  Ephesus  was  not  the  only  Jewish  community  of  the  Dispersion  where 
there  were  disciples  of  John.  The  preaching  of  the  Forerunner  had 
aroused  such  popular  enthusiasm  that  very  many  Israelites,  who  had 
come  up  to  Jerusalem  among  the  pilgrims,  returned  firmly  persuaded  that 


THIRD  MISSION  JOURNEY.— EPHESUS.         229 

were  certainly  acquainted  with  the  Alexandrian  Doctor. 
How,  then,  could  it  happen  that  the  latter,  once  he  him- 
self came  into  possession  of  the  whole  Gospel,  failed  to 
enlighten  them  ?  How  was  it,  too,  that,  though  in  the 
company  of  Aquila  and  Priscilla  they  yet  remained  only 
half  Christianized,  albeit  considering  themselves  disciples, 
and  in  all  probability  claiming  this  title  when  signing 
the  letters  of  recommendation  to  the  Corinthians  which 
they  gave  Apollos  ?  This  is  one  of  the  obscurest  points 
contained  in  the  Acts  ;  and  any  explanation  of  the  fact 
simply  goes  to  show  how  the  Gospel  was  propagated  out- 
side the  scene  of  the  Apostles'  labors  by  means  of  chance 
communications,  and  often  left  to  be  the  veriest  sport 
of  circumstances.  Methods  of  teaching,  as  well  as  of 
government,  were  never  well  organized  or  fruitful  except 
in  the  bosom  of  such  Churches  as  were  founded  by  the 
Twelve  and  maintained  under  their  authority. 

Paul  speedily  set  to  work  establishing  the  Church 
of  Ephesus  on  a  firmer  basis.  His  relations  with  the 
Synagogue,  which  from  the  first  had  been  so  cordial 
and  even  friendly,  soon  began  to  wear  an  altered  mien. 
While  a  certain  number  of  Jews  came  over  to  the  new 
Faith,  others  "persisted  in  remaining  incredulous,  dis- 
paraging the  Way  of  the  Lord  in  the  presence  of  all  the 
people."  ^  This  was  the  influential  class  of  Israelites,  their 
leaders  and  doctors;  for  Paul,  judging  their  ascendency 
fraught  with  danger,  "  separated  from  them  and  drew 
away  his  disciples  with  him."  He  did  not  take  this  step, 
however,  until  he  had  done  his  best  to  enlighten  them, 
and  had  suffered  much  from  their  obstinacy.  The  figure 
he  uses  when  describing  this  struggle  to  the  Corinthians 
gives  us  an  idea  of  its  violence:  "I  have  fought  with 

John  was  the  Messiah.  This  belief  still  persisted  down  to  the  time  when 
the  Recognitiones  were  written,  about  the  year  200  (Recognit.,  i.  54,  60)  ; 
it  has  been  perpetuated  iu  the  curious  sect  of  the  Christians  of  John,  thé 
Sabaeans,  now  reduced  to  something  like  a  thousand  followers,  and  con 
fined  to  a  few  villages  lying  south  of  Bagdad.  See  D.  Chwolson,  Die 
Ssabier  unci  der  Ssabismus  ;  also  Sioufh's  Études  sur  la  Religion  des  Sou- 
bhas  OH  Sabéens. 
1  Acts  xix.  9. 


230  SAINT  PAUL. 

beasts  at  Ephesus,"  ^  he  says,  likening  his  lot  to  that  of 
the  condemned  men  he  had  seen  thrown  before  the  lions 
in  the  amphitheatre.  The  season  of  hardest  trial  for 
him  was  those  three  months  which  preceded  the  rup- 
ture with  the  Synagogue.  During  that  period  Paul  was 
amenable  to  trial  by  the  Jewish  courts,  subject  to  their 
laws  and  punishments  ;  perhaps  it  was  then  that  one  of 
the  whippings  which  he  speaks  of  two  years  later  to  the 
Corinthians  was  inflicted  on  him.^  The  situation  became 
somewhat  more  bearable  when,  on  his  renouncing  the 
privileges  of  his  nation,  he  put  himself  under  the  com- 
mon law  of  the  city.  By  this  means  he  escaped  from 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  Jewish  community,  and  avoided 
its  legal  terrors  ;  but  he  was  none  the  less  exposed  to 
persecutions  from  the  fanatics  who  regarded  him  as  an 
apostate.  For  two  long  years,  snares  and  pitfalls  beset 
him  at  every  step,  with  an  inveteracy  of  hatred  which 
wrung  from  him  that  tearful  cry,  "  To  me  life  is  a  dying 
daily."  ^ 

His  flock  of  Christians  did  not  cease  growing  in  num- 
bers, despite  the  continued  onslaughts  of  its  foes,  and 
this  thought  sufficed  to  comfort  the  Apostle.  Already 
their  numbers  were  too  large  to  gather  in  any  single 
house,  and  the  meetings  were  held  in  a  place  called  the 
School  of  Tyrannus,  from  the  name  of  some  local  teacher 
of  philosophy  or  rhetoric.  Whether  this  personage  be- 
longed to  the  body  of  Christians,  or  whether  he  rented  to 
them  his  school-house,  this  hall  became  the  sanctuary  of 
Ephesus  :  "  Here  the  Apostle  discoursed  every  day  ;  and 
this  continued  for  the  space  of  two  years,  insomuch  that 
all  who  dwelt  in  Asia,  Jews  as  well  as  Greeks,  heard  the 
word  of  the  Lord."  ^  Not  content  with  this  Apostolate, 
Paul  went  from  house  to  house,®  visiting  such  as  his 
words  had  touched,  and  in  this  friendly  ministry  he  dis- 
played the  same  vigor  of  speech  and  action  for  which  his 
public  preaching  was  renowned.     There  were  two  great 

1  1  Cor.  XV.  32,  4  Acts  xix.  9,  10. 

2  2  Cor.  xi.  24.  5  Acts  xx.  20. 

3  1  Cor.  XV.  31,  32  ;  Acts  xx.  19. 


THIRD  MISSION  JO  URNE  Y.  —  EPHES US.         28 1 

objects  which  he  mentions  to  the  Elders  of  Ephesus  as 
most  preoccupying  his  mind  in  this  work  :  first  of  all 
to  be  careful  to  warn  the  newly  converted  of  the  severer 
side  of  the  Gospel,  "  not  concealing  from  them  anything 
that  was  profitable,"  ^  neither  penance  nor  faith  in  the 
Cross  of  Jesus  ;  ^  but  he  was  still  more  bent  on  keeping 
them  strictly  within  that  rugged  footpath  by  constantly 
setting  before  their  eyes  the  austere  simplicity  of  their 
duties,  going  down  to  the  very  depths  of  their  hearts  in 
order  to  revive  their  earliest  impressions  ;  and  to  this 
end  he  spared  neither  cautions  nor  remonstrances.^  And 
yet  the  Apostle's  hand  could  be  as  gentle  as  a  mother's, 
though  firm  as  his  own  upright  nature  ;  "  day  and  night  " 
he  was  at  the  service  of  his  brethren,  nor  did  he  ever 
cease  urging  them,  —  "  he  would  reprove  them  weeping,"  * 
and  by  those  tears,  most  touching  to  behold  on  a  face  so 
manly  and  stern  as  his,  he  finally  triumphed  over  all 
resistance. 

Heaven  furthered  Paul's  labors  during  this  period  by 
communicating  to  him  in  larger  abundance  than  ever 
before  the  power  of  Miracles.  Extraordinary  manifesta- 
tions were  worked  by  his  hands  ;  though  unconscious  of 
it  himself,  a  divine  power  proceeded  from  him.  Nothing 
so  deeply  moved  his  hearers  as  to  see  him,  even  when 
preaching,  keep  on  weaving  at  his  coarse  tent  cloth  ; 
again  and  again,  in  their  veneration  for  the  Saint,  they 
would  contrive  to  carry  away  the  linen  with  which  he 
had  been  wiping  away  the  sweat  from  his  brow,  or  the 
apron  ^  which  was  bound  about  his  loins.     These  articles, 

1  Acts  XX.  20. 

2  Acts  XX.  21. 

3  Acts  XX.  31.  The  term  vov-Oerçœ  (riOfiiji)  has  this  signification; 
it  means  to  bring  before  another's  mind  some  truth,  some  obligation  he 
has  forgotten,  making  him  reconsider  it,  chiding  and  rebuking  him,  — 
in  fine,  to  admonish  him.  See  Trench,  Synonyms  of  the  New  Testament, 
p.  104. 

4  Acts  XX.  31. 

^  2ou5apm  and  aifiiKivdia  are  simply  the  two  Latin  words  siidaria  and 
semicinctia.  The  former,  sndarium,  is  the  cloth  used  to  wipe  the  face  ; 
the  latter,  semicmctinm,  is  the  apron  worn  by  artisans  when  at  work. 
(Isidore  of  Seville,  Etymolog.,  xix.  23.)  Both  were  generally  made  of 
cloth. 


232  SAINT  PAUL. 

from  contact  with  the  Apostle,  proved  to  possess  miracu- 
lous powers  ;  when  applied  to  the  sick,  they  healed  them 
and  drove  out  evil  spirits  from  demonished  souls. ^ 

The  effect  of  these  prodigies  was  the  more  notable  be- 
cause of  the  passion  for  magic  and  the  occult  sciences 
which  prevailed  in  Ephesus.  In  none  of  the  towns 
hitherto  visited  by  the  Apostle  had  superstition  gained 
such  a  hold  over  the  populace.  Men  of  some  intellectual 
ability,  finding  no  school  of  thought  nor  any  serious 
studies  at  hand,  frittered  away  their  talents  in  devising 
the  most  puerile  practices,  or  in  learning  incantations 
by  heart,  —  how  to  evoke  the  departed,  or  the  shades  of 
spirits,  or  the  genii  of  Hell.  The  Ephesian  formulas,  by 
aid  of  which  men  worked  these  sorceries,  were  known 
over  the  whole  world.^  Though  written  in  an  unintelli- 
gible jargon,^  in  their  entirety  they  constituted  an  art 
which  boasted  of  many  noted  professors,  with  a  method- 
ical system,  and  with  rules  for  procedure  in  all  cases 
minutely  described  and  published  in  collected  form. 
These  books  of  magic  were  much  read  and  eagerly 
sought  after;  some  of  the  collections  especially,  which 
contained  mysterious  prescriptions,  were  sold  at  a  high 
price. 

A  town  known  to  be  so  enamored  of  the  marvellous 
was  the  natural  resort  for  persons  who  lived  by  such  pre- 
tensions, whether  astrologers,  fortune-tellers,  or  magi- 
cians. Among  these  impostors  who  chanced  to  be  in  the 
city  at  this  time  were  seven  Jews,  sons  of  a  High  Priest* 
named  Sceva.     These  men  made  a  profession  of  casting 

1  Acts  xix.  11, 12. 

2  The  crown,  girdle,  and  feet  of  the  Diana  of  Ephesus  were  covered 
with  these  magical  formula  (Eustathius,  Ad  Odi/ss.,  xix.  247).  They 
were  worn  after  the  fashion  of  amulets,  and  were  repeated  as  the  most 
efficient  charms  against  bad  luck.  See  in  Guhl's  Ephesiaca  (iii.  6)  the 
quotations  from  Hesychius  and  Suidas  ;  also  Plutarch,  Qiicest.  Conviv.,  vii. 
V.  4;  Athenœus,  xii.  70. 

^  Clement  of  Alexandria  quotes  one  of  the  most  popular  of  these 
charms  :  Askiou,  Kataskion,  lix,  letras,  damnameneus,  aisin.  Androcydes 
the  Pythagorean  translates  it  thus  :  "  darkness,  light,  earth,  year,  sun, 
truth."     (Clement  of  Alexandria,  Stromat.,  v.  8.) 

*  In  other  words,  one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  sacerdotal  classes. 


THIRD  MISSION  JOURNEY.  — EPHESUS.  233 

out  evil  spirits.  There  was  a  widespread  and  firm  convic- 
tion among  Israelites  of  that  day  that  all  derangements 
of  man's  body  or  soul  were  to  be  attributed  to  the  de- 
mons, and  accordingly  certain  superstitious  charms  had 
been  invented  whereby  to  banish  them,  and  there  were 
very  many  exorcists  trained  to  perform  these  rites,  not 
only  all  over  Judea,  but  here  and  there  in  the  communi- 
ties of  the  Dispersion  as  well.^  Though  not  so  coarse  and 
stupid  as  the  Pagans'  rites,  their  spells  were  not  crowned 
with  any  greater  success.  Consequently  the  sons  of  Sceva, 
after  witnessing  some  of  Paul's  miracles,  resolved  to  imi- 
tate him,  and  like  him  invoke  the  Name  of  the  Saviour 
in  their  exorcisms.  The  first  opportunity  for  making 
trial  of  their  plan  was  in  the  case  of  a  demonished  man 
exhibiting  the  worst  symptoms. 

Entering  the  dwelling  of  the  person  afflicted  by  this 
terrible  demon,  they  said  to  the  spirit,  "  We  adjure  you 
by  Jesus  Whom  Paul  preaches  !  " 

"  I  know  Jesus,"  the  Devil  made  answer,  "  and  I  know 
Paul  ;  but  who  are  you  ?  "  And  straightway  the  pos- 
sessed creature,  flinging  himself  upon  two  of  these  exor- 
cists, overpowered  them,  and  used  them  so  roughly  that 
they  fled  from  the  house  naked  and  seriously  wounded. 

"  Eumors  of  this  event  spread  swiftly  throughout 
Ephesus,  and  both  Jews  and  Greeks  heard  of  it.  All 
were  seized  with  fear,  and  the  Name  of  the  Lord  was 
glorified."  During  this  general  excitement  a  strange  fact 
came  to  light,  one  hitherto  unknown  to  Paul  and  his 
companions  in  the  Apostolate  :  many  of  those  who  be- 
lieved had  not,  for  all  that,  renounced  their  fondness  for 
spells  and  incantations.  Enlightened  by  the  humiliating 
blow  which  had  befallen  the  sons  of  Sceva,  they  hastened 
to  confess  what  they  had  been  doing  before  the  assembled 
brethren. 

The  enthusiasm  of  the  converts  carried  them  still  fur- 
ther, and  even  some  of  the  concocters  of  this  mummery 
were  caught  up  by  the  strong  current  of  popular  feeling. 
Very  many  of  them  brought  thither  their  books  of  magic 

1  Josephus,  Antiq.  JucL,  viii.  ii.  5. 


234  SAINT  PAUL. 

and  burned  them  publicly.  At  sight  of  the  flames  feed- 
ing on  manuscripts  which  Ephesus  was  ready  to  buy  at 
their  weight  in  gold,  it  occurred  to  some  one  to  reckon 
the  cost  of  this  sacrifice,  "  and  they  found  that  it  amounted 
to  fifty  thousand  pieces  of  silver."  ^ 

"  With  such  power  as  this,"  Saint  Luke  concludes,  "  did 
the  Word  of  the  Lord  grow  and  display  its  might." 

1  About  $10,000,  if  by  these  silver  pieces  is  meant  the  Attic  drachma; 
a  little  less,  if  the  author  alludes  to  the  Roman  denarius. 


CHAPTEE   X. 

TRIED   MISSION.  —  THE   CHURCHES   OF   THE   PROVINCE 
OF  ASIA. 

None  of  the  towns  where  Paul  had  preached  hitherto 
offered  him  such  opportunities  as  did  Ephesus  for  the 
spreading  of  the  Gospel.  Antioch,  Thessalonica,  and 
Corinth  had  been  admirably  adapted  to  serve  as  centres 
for  the  preacher,  since  the  tide  of  commerce,  with  the 
crowds  of  foreigners  it  attracted,  combined  to  carry  the 
fame  of  the  Good  News  to  all  four  winds  of  heaven  ;  ^ 
but  the  lands  lying  around  these  great  seaports  were 
lacking  in  population  and  importance.  Upper  Syria  was 
no  more  than  a  narrow  strip  between  the  Sea  of  Cyprus 
and  the  desert  ;  it  was  the  hem  of  the  Imperial  robe,^ 
strictly  guarded  by  four  of  the  Legions.^  Only  seventeen 
towns  took  part  in  the  feasts  celebrated  by  all  Syria*  in 
Antioch,  which  was  gradually  absorbing  the  whole  Prov- 
ince. The  same  holds  true  of  Thessalonica.  Its  harbor, 
one  of  the  terminal  points  of  the  Via  Egnatia,  made  it 
one  of  the  most  frequented  centres  for  the  trade  of  the 
Mediterranean  ;  but  it  was  situated  in  Macedonia,  a  Prov- 
ince of  small  extent,^  with  no  great  cities,  while  Thessaly 
itself  was  depopulated,^  and  Epirus  wellnigh  a  wilder- 

1  'A(f>'  vfiûv  .  .  .  è^^X'î''"'*'  ^  \6yos  rov  Kvpiov  .  .  .  êv  ttuvtI  tJito». 
1  Thess.  i.  8. 

2  This  was  in  fact  the  only  point  where  the  Eastern  frontier  of  the 
Roman  Empire  touched  that  of  the  Parthians  immediately  ;  everywhere 
else  vassal  states  lay  between  them. 

^  Tacitus,  Annales,  iv.  .5. 

*  Libanius,  Epist.,  1454. 

5  From  the  reign  of  Tiberius  to  that  of  Claudius  (15-44)  it  was  reck- 
oned as  a  part  of  Achaia,  Tacitus,  Annales,  i.  76,  80;  v.  10.  Suetonius, 
Claudius,  25.     Dio  Cassius,  Ix.  24. 

^  Strabo,  ix,  v.  15. 


236  SAINT  PAUL. 

ness  where  "only  a  few  villages  and  hovels  were  left 
standing."  ^  As  for  Corinth,  we  have  seen  the  ruins 
which  surrounded  it  on  all  sides  :  no  quarter  of  the 
Empire  had  suffered  worse  devastations.  "  Go  over  all 
Greece,"  Plutarch  says  a  little  later,  "  and  you  will  not 
find  three  thousand  men  fit  to  bear  arms."  ^ 

Very  different  was  the  condition  of  Ephesus  :  for  while 
it  was  the  peer  in  wealth  of  those  great  markets  of  the 
world  where  Paul  had  founded  his  principal  Churches,  it 
had  the  advantage  over  its  rivals  in  being  the  capital  of  a 
Province  as  populous  as  any  in  the  Empire.  It  boasted 
of  possessing  as  many  as  five  hundred  towns,^  most  of 
them  sharing  in  the  prosperity  of  the  metropolis  and 
keeping  up  active  commercial  intercourse  with  it.  This 
is  what  made  it,  according  to  Paul's  imagery,  a  wide  gate 
affording  entrance  to  the  Pagan  world.^  For  two  years 
the  Evangelists  formed  by  the  Apostle's  care  went  forth 
through  that  open  door  ;  and  so  eager  were  they  to  spread 
the  word  of  the  Lord  "that  all  who  dwelt  in  Asia  heard 
it,  Jews  as  well  as  Gentiles."  ^  Were  the  great  Churches 
that  Saint  John  met  there  on  his  visit  some  years  later  — 
Smyrna,  Pergamos,  Thyatira,  Sardis,  Philadelphia  ^  — 
founded  at  this  early  date  ?  We  cannot  tell  ;  but  the 
narrative  in  the  Acts  leaves  no  doubt  about  the  fact  that 
such  a  short  space  of  time  had  sufficed  to  herald  the 
Glad  Tidings  over  the  whole  countryside.'^  In  order  to 
estimate  rightly  the  importance  of  so  splendid  a  victory 
for  the  Faith,  it  will  not  be  amiss  to  cast  a  glance  over 
the  extent  and  resources  of  this  region. 

The  heart  of  the  Eoman  Province  of  Asia  was  that 
ancient  Ionia,  the  Greece  of  Homer,  Thaïes,  Pythagoras, 

^  Strabo,  vii.  vii.  9. 

2  Plutarch,  De  Defectu  Oraculor.,  viii.  *  1  Cor,  xvi.  9. 

3  Josephus,  Bell,  jud.,  ii,  xvi.  4.  ^  Acts  xix.  10. 
^  Apoc.  i.  11. 

'  Indeed,  he  gives  us  to  understand  that  Demetrius  was  the  instigator 
of  the  persecution  which  drove  the  Apostle  from  these  parts,  by  inciting 
the  people  against  him  with  his  complaints.  "  You  see  him  !  you  under- 
stand him  !  not  only  at  Ephesus,  but  throughout  all  Asia,  this  Paul,  by 
resorting  to  persuasion,  has  turned  away  a  great  multitude."  Acts 
xix.  26. 


THIRD  MISSION.  — PROVINCE   OF  ASIA.  237 

Heraclitus,  and  Herodotus.  The  fire  of  natural  feeling 
and  genius  had  been  wafted  hither  from  Hellas,  and  still 
burned  brightly,  no  longer  as  on  the  opposite  shores  of 
Europe  focussed  in  the  one  city  of  Athens,  but  glowing 
on  many  a  hearth,  —  in  Pergamos,  Smyrna,  Ephesus, 
Miletus,  Halicarnassus,  Chios,  and  Lesbos.  The  same 
strong  breath  of  intellectual  life  which  blew  over  both 
coasts  of  the  Archipelago  bore  hither  philosophy,  art,  and 
poesy,  wafting  them  to  heights  which  the  human  mind 
has  never  since  attained.  The  same  sky  shone  over 
both  lands,  clothing  the  rocks  of  Attica  in  robes  of  gold 
and  purple,  bathing  the  rich  fields  of  Ionia  in  warm  light. 
It  was  because  of  this  fruitfulness  of  its  soil  that  Asiatic 
Greece  differed  from  her  European  sister,  and  for  this 
reason  gradually  excelled  her.  Nature  lavishes  her  gifts 
on  that  network  of  valleys  which  interlace  this  region  ; 
harvest  lands  watered  by  living  springs  give  back  a  hun- 
dred fold  to  the  farmer  ;  mineral  wealth  abounds  ;  the 
products  of  all  sorts  which  pour  in  from  Central  Asia 
create  and  support  numerous  industries  ;  while  in  the 
Archipelago  hard  by  culture  and  commerce  found  a 
thousand  outlets  for  their  activity. 

A  land  like  this  was  a  tempting  morsel  for  all  its 
greedy  neighbors.  Lydian  monarchs  wrested  Ionia  from 
the  Greek  colonists,  but  only  to  relinquish  it  in  turn  to 
the  rapacious  Persians.  From  the  hands  of  the  latter 
it  passed  to  the  successors  of  Alexander,  —  Antigonus, 
Lysimachus,  Seleucus,  and  the  royal  house  of  Pergamos, 
till  one  of  the  last  named  Kings,  Attains  Philometor, 
bequeathed  all  his  domains  to  the  Roman  people.  The 
prosperity  of  the  country  had  managed  to  survive  these 
revolutions  ;  and  it  was  in  no  danger  under  the  œgis 
of  Rome's  sceptre.  While  in  Epirus,  in  Greece,  and  in 
the  islands,  the  conquest  had  left  behind  it  one  long  trail 
of  spoliation,  Ionia  had  only  to  complain  of  a  change  of 
rulers.  As  this  new  state  of  affairs  was  brought  about 
without  any  armed  violence,  the  country  was  spared 
the  burdens  of  military  occupation  ;  the  legions  merely 
passed  through  the  territory;  only  a  few  colonies  were 


238  SAINT  PAUL. 

founded  ;  ^  the  Eoman  policy  was  to  multiply  such  settle- 
ments in  seditious  and  disaffected  Provinces,  but  they 
were  unnecessary  among  peoples  so  wonted  to  the  yoke 
of  the  foreigner.  To  facilitate  the  levying  of  taxes  it  was 
deemed  advisable  merely  to  reparcel  the  territory  into 
forty-four  districts,^  containing  the  hundred  and  twenty 
cities  of  this  region.^  A  Eoman  Governor  with  his  staff 
officers  took  up  residence  at  Ephesus,  and  all  went  on  as 
formerly,  save  for  a  feeling  of  added  security,  and  con- 
sequently with  an  additional  spur  to  enterprise.  In 
Paul's  time  Ionia  was  more  thickly  populated  and  busier 
than  ever.  The  seaports  along  the  coast,  Smyrna,  Ephesus, 
and  Miletus,  were  crammed  with  cargoes  of  merchandise 
and  bread-stuffs  brought  from  the  East;  the  inland  dis- 
tricts were  no  less  prosperous.  From  the  highlands  of 
Phrygia  to  the  Archipelago  and  through  the  valleys,  towns 
were  springing  up  in  close  contiguity  and  disputing  for  the 
supremacy  in  trade.  Bronzes,  pottery,  chased  steel,  rare 
marble,  rugs,  Milesian  stuffs,  brilliant  dyes,  and  a  thou- 
sand costly  articles,  found  their  way  from  here  into  the 
hands  of  tradesmen  all  over  the  Empire,  and  especially 
those  of  Eome.  This  commerce,  together  with  the  fertile 
farms,  made  life  in  this  country  as  easy  as  it  was  charm- 
ing. The  workingmen  were  organized  in  large  bodies, 
closely  united,  and  often  powerful  enough  to  undertake 
public  works  and  the  erection  of  monuments.*  In  the 
upper  classes  a  certain  number  of  eminent  citizens  made 
a  generous  use  of  their  fortunes  ;  the  taste  for  literature 
and  the  arts  was  very  general,  and  the  public  gifts  mu- 
nificent. Wealthy  families  were  wont  to  vie  with  each 
other  in  adorning  their  cities  with  temples,  pillared  por- 
ticos, and  theatres,  the  vestiges  of  which,  still  beautiful 

1  Marquardt,  Romische  Staatsverwaltung ,  i.  387. 

2  Cassiodorus,  Chronicon,  ad  ann.  670  :  "  His  conss.  Asiam  in  xliii 
regiones  Sulla  distribuit."     Here  the  Munich  MS.  has  xl. 

3  Philostratus,  Vitœ  Sophistarum,  56,  21  in  Kayser's  ed.  Josephus, 
Bell.  Jud.,  ii.  xvi.  4.  Statins  (Silv.,  ii.  57)  speaks  of  there  being  one 
thousand  cities. 

4  Corpus  Inscr.  Grœc,  nos.  3154,  3192,  3304,  3408,  3422,  3480,  3485, 
3495,  3504,  etc. 


THIRD  MISSION.- PROVINCE   OF  ASIA.  239 

in  decay,  strew  the  ground  to-day.^  Their  own  city  was 
the  one  source  of  pride  for  this  population,  which  had 
become  unused  to  the  idea  of  a  vaster  fatherland  during 
the  past  centuries  of  foreign  domination.  Eome  fostered 
these  tendencies,  which  insured  to  her  the  tranquil  pos- 
session of  her  conquest  and  to  the  Province  itself  a 
healthy  prosperity.  She  treated  this  fine  property,  there- 
fore, with  prudent  consideration,  allowing  most  of  the 
towns  to  retain  their  franchises  and  municipal  consti- 
tutions. In  return  she  obtained  submission  and  respect, 
which  often  rose  to  the  pitch  of  adulation. 

How  then,  in  such  soil  and  in  the  midst  of  the  thistles 
which  in  the  Saviour's  Parable  are  for  a  figure  of  just 
such  worldly  preoccupations,^  how  could  the  Gospel  take 
root  and  blossom  ?  for  this  divine  seed  does  not  usually 
bear  fruit  save  in  the  heart  of  poverty  and  when  nour- 
ished by  what  to  all  else  is  a  stern  and  forbidding  clime. 
Nor  was  the  speedy  conversion  of  Ionia  a  derogation  to 
this  law  of  Christian  development.  Here,  as  elsewhere, 
God's  holy  word  did  not  suddenly  fix  the  attention  of 
fortunate  worldlings  or  learned  men  ;  ^  but  it  did  find  its 
way  deep  down  into  the  hearts  of  the  common  folk,  and 
among  the  latter  classes,  the  Good  News  was  welcomed 
most  gladly.  This  the  Apostle  indicates  clearly  enough 
in  the  sketch  of  the  general  state  of  the  Church,  which 
he  traced  toward  the  close  of  his  stay  at  Ephesus  :  "  God 
has  chosen  the  least  wise  in  the  world's  judgment  to 
confound  the  learned;  He  has  chosen  the  weak  in  the 
world's  esteem  to  cover  the  mighty  with  shame  ;  He  has 
chosen  the  basest  and  most  contemptible  in  the  opinion 
of  the  world,  ay,  and  what  was  as  nothing,  to  destroy 
what  was  esteemed  great,  in  order  that  no  man  should 
glorify  himself  in  God's  presence."  ^ 

1  Strabo,  xii.  viii.  16;  xiv.  i.  42.  2  Matt.  xiii.  22. 

3  The  latter  were  not  wanting  in  this  region.  Although  the  Province 
of  Asia  was  not  so  renowned  for  its  schools  as  was  either  Rhodes,  Tarsus, 
Athens  or  Alexandria,  it  was  not  destitute  of  studious  centres.  Many  of 
its  towns  had  sent  orators  and  men  of  letters  to  Rome.  One  of  Augustus's 
most  valued  teachers,  Apollodorus,  hailed  from  Pergamos  (Strabo,  xiii. 
iv.  3). 

4  1  Cor.  i.  27-29. 


240  SAINT  PAUL. 

The  attraction  which  Christianity  had  for  the  lower 
classes  in  Ionia  is  attributable  to  the  same  causes  which 
had  brought  about  so  many  conversions  in  the  great 
metropolises  like  Antioch  and  Corinth.  A  life  of  luxury 
and  over  abundant  wealth  in  the  upper  classes  tended  to 
make  the  misery  of  the  poor  more  humiliating  by  con- 
trast, their  forlorn  and  helpless  condition  more  apparent. 
To  hearts  realizing  that  they  were  the  disinherited  of  this 
earth  the  Gospel  appeared  as  a  Heavenly  visitant,  bearing 
unhoped  for  consolation,  raising  them  from  the  dust, 
holding  forth  a  crown  of  redemption.  Paul's  perfect 
disinterestedness  still  further  increased  its  prestige.  Noth- 
ing, especially  in  a  wealthy  country,  discredits  and  par- 
alyzes the  work  of  our  Apostolate  so  much  as  a  spirit  of 
money-getting  in  the  servants  of  God  ;  the  mere  appear- 
ance of  cupidity,  or  any  too  persistent  demands  for  neces- 
sary funds  are  enough  seriously  to  hamper  the  Christian 
ministry.  Paul  forestalled  all  such  suspicions  of  self- 
seeking  by  leading  a  poor  and  laborious  life,  refusing,  as 
we  have  seen,  even  the  most  legitimate  offers  of  help 
from  his  own  disciples.  When  he  left  Ephesus  he  was 
still  of  the  same  mind  as  when  he  addressed  those  thrill- 
ing words  to  his  Corinthian  friends.  "  'T  is  you  I  seek, 
and  not  your  possessions  ;  for  children  should  not  lay  up 
wealth  for  their  parents,  but  parents  for  their  children. 
For  my  part,  I  will  willingly  give  all  I  have,  nay,  more,  I 
will  give  myself  for  the  salvation  of  your  souls,  even 
though  the  more  abundantly  I  love  you  the  less  I  be 
loved."  1 

Thus  constrained  as  he  was  to  lead  a  life  of  unbroken 
labor  if  he  would  pursue  this  independent  line  of  conduct, 
it  was  not  often  that  the  Apostle  could  find  an  oppor- 
tunity when  he  was  free  to  leave  Ephesus  during  these 
two  years  ;  but  what  occasion  was  there  for  such  jour- 
neys when  the  whole  Province  of  Asia  was  seeking  him 
out?  The  School  of  Tyrannus,  Aquila's  workshop,  the 
houses  of  his  disciples,  the  streets  and  squares  of  the 
city,   offered   him    ample    opportunities    for    preaching. 

1  2  Cor.  xii.  14,  15. 


THIRD  MISSION.— PROVINCE   OF  ASIA.         241 

Those  who  were  won  over  to  Jesus  became  so  many  new 
Evangelists,  and  on  their  return  to  their  own  homes  at 
once  began  the  work  of  instructing  their  fellow  towns- 
men. It  was  by  such  means  that  "  all  Asia  heard  the 
Word  of  the  Lord."  i 

The  Eoman  Province  known  by  this  name  at  the  period 
of  Luke's  writing  was  not  bounded  by  the  limits  of  Ionia, 
properly  speaking,  —  that  is,  to  the  three  valleys  of  the 
Meander,  Cayster,  and  Hermus  :  the  name  was  used  to 
include  Mysia  as  far  as  Mount  Olympus,  Lydia,  Caria, 
and  a  part  of  Phrygia.^  In  very  many  cities  of  this 
region,  Christian  communities  were  established,  at  the 
outset  numbering  only  a  few  members,  but  these  few 
most  fervent  and  active  ;  consequently  they  were  des- 
tined to  extend  in  numbers  and  territory  with  a  rapidity 
unparalleled  anywhere  else  in  the  Koman  world.  Fifty 
years  later,  when  Pliny  the  Younger  assumed  the  reins 
of  government  in  the  neigliboring  Province  of  Bithynia, 
he  finds,  to  his  dismay,  that  Paganism  has  fallen  into 
decadence,  "  the  temples  abandoned,  religious  festivals 
long  since  discontinued,  while  the  priests  have  stopped 
selling  the  meats  from  the  sacrifices,  which  no  one  will 
purchase  any  more."  ^  Almost  the  whole  land  is  become 
Christian,  "not  the  cities  merely,  but  the  villages  and 
all  the  countryside  as  well."^  Certain  individuals,  on 
being  questioned  as  to  how  long  it  was  since  they  had 
given  up  leading  Christian  lives,  answered  that  for  more 
than  twenty  years  they  had  ceased  following  the  new 
Faith.  Such  facts,  brought  to  light  in  official  documents, 
warrant  the  inference  that  in  these  regions  Christianity 
had  from  the  beginning   taken  deep   root,  and   that   it 

1  Acts  xix.  10.  So  close  and  intimate  was  the  union  of  these  mission- 
aries with  the  Apostle,  that  the  latter  very  justly  considers  the  whole  of 
Asia  as  being  at  this  time  the  field  of  his  ministry  (2  Cor.  i.  8  ;  Kom.  xvi. 
5).  In  the  letter  written  from  Ephesus  to  the  Corinthians,  he  salutes  them 
in  the  name  of  the  Churches  of  Asia.  WrnrâÇovTai  vfxâs  al  iKKArjaiai  ttjs 
'Aaias.     1  Cor.  xvi.  19. 

2  Marquardt,  Romische  Staatsverwaltunq ,  i.  339  et  seq. 

3  Pliny,  Episfn/fp,  x.  97. 

4  "  Neque  civitates  tantum,  sed  vicos  etiam  atque  agros  superstitionis 
istius  contagio  pervagata  est."     Ibid. 

16 


242  SAINT  PAUL. 

speedily  penetrated  into  all  ranks  of  society  "without 
distinction  of  age,  sex,  or  condition."  ^  Nevertheless  this 
universal  tendency  to  embrace  the  new  religion  did  not 
manifest  itself  fully,  or  so  it  would  seem,  till  after  Paul's 
death  ;  for  his  first  mission  work,  as  we  have  seen  already 
at  Ephesus  and  elsewhere,  attracted  only  the  poor  and 
suffering. 

Up  to  that  time  the  richest  harvest  he  had  reaped  was  in 
the  Phrygian  territory.  During  the  preceding  missionary 
journeyings  Paul  had  evangelized  the  larger  part  of  this 
region, ^ — -that  of  the  upper  plains  ;  at  a  later  date  he  had 
revisited  its  Christian  congregations  before  descending  to 
the  Ionian  shores,  and  his  stay  had  done  much  to  en- 
lighten and  confirm  them  in  the  Faith.  On  neither  of 
these  occasions  had  the  field  of  his  labors  been  extended 
as  far  as  the  Phrygian  cities  now  comprised  in  the  Eo- 
man  Province  of  Asia,  notably  those  which  occupied  the 
higher  districts  of  the  Hermus  and  Meander  valleys.  The 
Faith  was  brought  to  them  by  his  disciples  during  the 
Apostle's  sojourn  at  Ephesus,  and  at  once  it  manifested 
itself  most  strikingly  in  one  particular  section,  namely, 
the  valley  of  the  Lycus. 

Here  there  were  three  cities  which  were  destined  to 
be  celebrated  in  the  annals  of  the  Church  :  Colossse, 
Laodicea,  and  Hierapolis.  Paul's  Epistle  to  the  citizens 
of  the  first-mentioned  town  has  made  its  name  the  most 
familiar  one  to  us  ;  it  was,  however,  a  less  important 
place  than  the  other  two  cities  at  this  epoch.  Strabo 
speaks  of  it  as  being  but  a  small  town.^  Its  renown  lay 
in  days  now  past,  when  it  was  that  "great  city  of 
Phrygia"  which  served  as  a  station  for  the  army  of 
Xerxes  on  the  occasion  of  his  march  to  the  sea.^  Xen- 
ophon  saw  it  when  it  was  still  "  populous  and  flourish- 
ing." *  Its  situation  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Cadmus,  with 
the  pass  over  this  range  which  it  commands,  the  highway 

1  "  Multi  omnis  setatis,  omuis  ordinis,  utriusque  sexus  etiam."  Pliny, 
EpisfoJœ,  X.  97. 

■^  n6\i(Tiu.a     Strabo,  xii.  viii.  13. 

3  Herodotus,  vii.  .30. 

*  Xenophon,  Anabasis,  i.  ii.  6. 


THIRD  MISSION.— PROVINCE   OF  ASIA.  243 

from  the  East  to  the  Archipelago  which  traverses  it, 
with  all  its  ancient  renown,  seemed  to  point  to  a  great 
future  for  the  city.  But  notwithstanding,  Hierapolis 
and  Laodicea,  lying  some  twelve  miles  below  in  the 
valley  and  near  the  Meander,  managed  gradually  to 
attract  all  the  activity  and  enterprise  of  the  region  ;  this 
state  of  decline  in  Colossae  —  notable  even  in  the  time 
of  the  Apostles  —  was  so  complete  and  hopeless,  that 
everything  was  allowed  to  perish,  the  very  ruins  and 
even  all  memories  of  its  past  ;  in  our  day,  only  a  few  ves- 
tiges of  the  great  city  have  been  discovered  along  the 
banks  of  the  stream  which  courses  by.^  A  little  detail 
in  Herodotus's  description  of  it  would  seem  however  to 
render  the  location  of  its  site  an  easy  matter  :  in  his  time 
the  Lycus  disappeared  underground  near  the  city,  and 
only  appeared  on  the  surface  at  a  distance  of  five  stadia 
(about  three  quarters  of  a  mile)  farther  on.^  No  trace 
of  such  an  underground  passage  is  to  be  found  in  these 
parts  :  from  its  very  source  the  stream  is  always  visible 
to  the  eye.  This  change  in  the  aspect  of  the  place  is  the 
work  of  the  incrusting  springs  which  flow  from  innu- 
merable points  along  the  banks  of  the  Lycus,  and  are 
continually  forming  new  features  in  the  landscape.^  Their 
strange  effects,  though  marvellous  enough  all  along  the 
valley  are  especially  remarkable  at  Hierapolis. 

This  city,  situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Lycus, 
commands  a  view  of  Laodicea  and  the  snowy  peaks  of 
the  Cadmus.  It  was  built  along  the  sides  of  a  mountain, 
on  a  wide-spreading  height  of  ground  rising  some  three 
hundred   feet   above  the  valley  level.     Hereabouts  the 

1  Hamilton,  Researches  in  Asia  Minor.  The  ruins  of  the  town  are  on 
the  left  l)ank  of  the  Lycus,  its  necropolis  on  the  right. 

'^  Herodotus,  vii.  30. 

3  Men  of  olden  times  profited  largely  by  the  petrifying  properties  of 
the  Lycus.  Strabo  tells  us  how  canals  were  dug  in  the  sliiftiug  soil  and 
thus  transformed  into  beds  of  stone  by  the  waters  which  were  turned  into 
them  (Strabo,  xiii.  iv.  14).  Vitruvius  speaks  of  walls  being  built  about 
the  fields  after  the  same  fashion  (Vitruvius,  De  Architectura,  lib.  viii. 
cap.  iii.).  These  springs  have  in  no  way  lost  their  virtue  ;  to-day  the 
stream  of  Ak-Sou  (the  ancient  Lycus)  changes  plants  and  trees  —  every- 
thing it  touches  —  into  stone  ;  on  its  banks  the  mill-wheels  rapidly  be- 
come covered  with  a  stony  sheathing. 


244  SAINT  PAUL. 

petrifying  fountains  are  still  to  be  found  flowing  in  such 
abundance  that  they  have  covered  all  the  ground  with 
a  layer  of  travertine  ;  but  along  the  slopes  of  the  rocky 
ascent  is  the  spot  where  the  incrustations  display  all 
their  splendors.  Cataracts  of  solid  stone  descend  upon 
the  plains  below,  here  in  huge  sheets,  elsewhere  in  slen- 
der streams.  From  every  projecting  shelf  or  rock  against 
which  they  once  dashed,  these  rigid  waters  now  take  on 
all  manner  of  strange  forms,  hanging  in  long  pendants 
from  some  cliff,  or  lying  like  a  huge  basin  with  towering 
sides,  or  again  falling  in  lace-like  streamers  ;  nowhere  in 
the  world  will  you  find  falls  of  real  water  which  display 
such  richness  and  variety  of  effect  in  their  headlong 
course.  One  is  tempted  to  believe  that  he  is  looking 
upon  a  current  suddenly  arrested  in  its  course,  some  spell 
having  befallen  its  waters,  fixing  them  motionless  in  the 
very  act  of  springing  in  mid-air.  The  majestic  roar  of 
the  great  falls  of  the  world  is  the  only  thing  lacking  to 
complete  the  illusion  ;  but,  instead,  one's  eyes  are  dazzled 
by  the  brilliant  tints  of  purple  and  blue  in  which  the  white 
stalactites  are  wrapped;  to  gaze  upon  Hierapolis  in  its 
clear  native  atmosphere,  in  the  glare  of  an  Eastern  sun, 
almost  blinds  the  traveller.  From  the  earliest  times  it 
had  been  an  attractive  resort  for  throngs  of  visitors,  not 
so  much,  however,  on  account  of  the  fantastic  scenery  of 
its  waterfalls  as  for  their  medicinal  virtues.  The  town 
was  full  of  thermal  springs,^  whither  the  wealthy  flocked 
in  search  of  health  ;  an  inscription,  still  legible  on  its 
crumbling  walls,  attests  that  the  hopes  of  the  health 
seekers  were  not  always  doomed  to  disappointment  :  — 

"  Hail  to  thee,  loveliest  land  in  wide-spreading  Asia,  city 
of  gold,  0  Holy  City  [Hierapolis],  Nymph  divine,  nothing 
can  compare  with  the  fountains  which  are  thy  glory  !  "  ^ 

But  Hierapolis  itself  had  to  yield  precedence  to  Laodi- 
cea,  its  rival  on  the  other  side  of  Lycus.  There  the  great 
fortunes  of  the  region  were  amassed,  and  there  they  in- 
creased with  great  rapidity,  for  in  this  corner  of  Phrygia 

^  Strabo,  xiii.  iv,  14  2  Boeckh,  Corp.  Tnscript.,  no.  3909. 


THIRD  MISSION.— PROVINCE   OF  ASIA.         245 

all  sources  of  wealth  were  to  be  found  in  abundance  : 
fertile  farming  lands,  the  finest  of  fleece,  and  dyes  re- 
nowned all  over  the  world.  Owing  to  the  properties  of 
their  mineral  waters  they  were  able  to  produce  the 
brightest  hues  of  purple  and  scarlet.^  The  brilliant 
black  stuffs  for  which  Laodicea  was  celebrated  were  ob- 
tained at  still  less  expense,  since  the  pasture  lands  in  its 
vicinity  gave  this  natural  tint  to  the  wool  of  the  sheep.^ 
With  such  resources  cleverly  turned  to  their  own  profit, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  Laodicea  became  an  opulent 
centre,  and  consequently  could  boast  of  princely  endow- 
ments. Its  citizens  vied  with  each  other  in  their  boun- 
tiful gifts,  decking  it  with  monuments  and  works  of  art 
in  profusion.^  Far  from  impeding  this  new  channel  of 
its  activity,  the  Eoman  domination  served  to  impart  a 
new  inspiration  to  all  works  of  improvement  and  enter- 
prise. During  the  first  period  of  the  occupation,  Cybira, 
an  old  Phrygian  city,  had  been  selected  for  the  capital  of 
this  district  ;  but  the  Proconsuls  were  not  long  in  dis- 
covering that  Laodicea  was  the  real  metropolis  :  they 
made  it  the  seat  of  their  administration  and  there  they 
held  their  high  courts  of  justice;  thanks  to  them,  Laodi- 
cea became  not  only  the  foremost  city  in  these  parts,  but 
the  political  centre  also  for  the  twenty-five  cities  which 
formed  the  district  or  diocese  of  Cybira.* 

Such  was  the  aspect  of  the  Lycus  valley  at  the  time 
when  the  Gospel  was  first  preached  there.  Paul,  in  his 
Epistle  to  the  Colossians,  clearly  testifies  that  this  mis- 
sionary achievement  was  not  his  personal  work,  since 
neither  Colossse  nor  Laodicea  had  ever  beheld  his  face.^ 
He  recalls  "  the  day  when  for  the  first  time  he  heard 
tell  of  their  Faith  in  Jesus  Christ  and  of  their  charity 
toward  all  the  saints."  ^  "  The  Gospel  message,  which  was 
growing  and  bearing  fruit  over  the  wide  world,"  had  dis- 

1  Strabo,  xiii.  iv.  14. 

2  Strabo,  xii.  viii.  16. 

3  Boeckh,  Corp.  Inscr.,  no.  3935;  Strabo,  xii.  viii.  16. 

*  Pliny,  Historia  NaturaJis,  v.  29  ;  Cicero,  Ad  Attic,  v.  21. 
^  Colos.  ii.  1. 
*^  Colos.  i.  4,  9. 


246  SAINT  PAUL. 

played  a  like  fecundity  among  them,  "from  the  hour 
wherein  they  had  been  given  to  hearken  to  and  know  the 
grace  of  God  according  to  the  truth."  ^  "  You  have  been 
instructed,"  the  Apostle  goes  on  to  say  in  this  same  letter, 
"  by  Epaphras,  our  well  beloved  companion  in  the  service 
of  God,  who  is  a  faithful  minister  of  the  Christ  for  the 
good  of  your  souls,  and  who  has  made  us  to  know  your 
love  in  the  Spirit."  ^  Social  and  commercial  relations 
were  kept  up  constantly  between  the  towns  along  the 
Lycus  and  Ephesus.  Doubtless  it  was  in  the  latter  city 
that  Epaphras  listened  to  Paul's  sermons,  in  the  school  of 
Tyrannus,  whence,  the  Acts  tells  us,  the  Christian  faith 
was  spread  throughout  all  Asia.^  After  being  gained  over 
to  the  cause  of  Christ,  he  went  back  to  preach,  not  only 
at  Colossse,  his  native  town,  but  everywhere  in  that  fer- 
tile valley.  Zealous  fellow  laborers  soon  gathered  about 
him.  At  Laodicea,  Nymphas  was  wont  to  hold  gather- 
ings of  the  disciples  in  his  house.*  A  wealthy  Colossian 
named  Philemon  did  the  same  for  his  brethren,  ably 
seconded  in  his  efforts  by  Appia,  his  wife.  Archippus,  a 
friend  or  kinsman  of  Philemon,  had  likewise  a  share  in 
the  Gospel  ministry.^  Epaphras,  when  set  over  them, 
extended  his  charge  till  it  embraced  all  the  Christian 
communities  along  the  Lycus.  "  The  slave  of  Christ 
Jesus,"  wrote  Paul  to  the  Colossians,  "he  is  ever  con- 
tending on  your  behalf  in  his  prayers,  that  you  may 
remain  perfect  and  steadfast  in  all  the  will  of  God.  I 
bear  him  witness  that  he  toils  much  for  you  and  for 
those  in  Laodicea  and  Hierapolis."  ^  Here  the  Apostle's 
language  puts  it  beyond  a  doubt  that  Epaphras  exercised 
some  sort  of  Episcopal  authority  over  the  region  which 
he  was  the  first  to  evangelize. 

Nevertheless,  neither  the  active  zeal  of  their  pastor, 
nor  his  authority  consecrated  by  the  Apostle,  sufficed  to 
clear  away  the  foul  weeds  which  were  too  ready  to  take 
root  in  these  rich  fields.    Hardly  had  Paul  departed  from 


i  Colos.  i.  4-6.  *  Colos.  iv.  15. 

2  Colos.  i.  7,8.  5  Philem.,  1,2. 

*  Acts  xix.  9,  10,  20.  ^  Colos.  iv.  12,  13. 


THIRD  MISSION.  — PROVINCE   OF  ASIA.  247 

the  coasts  of  Asia,  when  a  heresy,  born  of  Oriental  fan- 
tasies and  Judaical  observances,  came  to  light.  This 
combination  of  peculiar  features  clearly  indicates  both 
the  presence  and  action  of  certain  Israelites  among  the 
new  converts  ;  nor  is  there  anything  surprising  in  this, 
if  we  revert  to  the  fact  that  the  country  was  filled  with 
Jewish  communities.  Laodicea  alone  gave  shelter  to 
eleven  thousand  adults  of  that  nation,  without  reck- 
oning women,  children,  and  servants;  Apamea-Kibotos 
numbered  five  times  as  many.^  Elsewhere,  at  Damascus 
and  Antioch  in  Syria,  for  instance,  we  have  seen  what 
well  prepared  soil  the  Gospel  fell  on  in  these  Jewish  con- 
gregations of  the  Dispersion  ;  we  have  a  right  to  conclude 
that  in  Phrygian  synagogues  the  Glad  Tidings  brought 
forth  fruit  as  speedily. 

We  should  err  on  the  other  hand,  were  we  to  attribute 
the  rapid  conversion  of  the  country  to  this  cause  solely. 
The  Pagans  in  this  canton  were  of  the  same  blood  as  the 
Phrygians  of  the  upper  highlands.  If,  from  frequent  con- 
tact with  Asiatic  Greece,  they  had  lost  somewhat  of  the 
roughness  and  rusticity  of  their  race,  they  had  preserved 
the  moral  qualities  for  which  they  were  always  eminent,  — 
their  honesty,  their  serious  views  of  life,  and  their  re- 
ligious spirit.  Christianity,  in  very  many  of  its  teachings, 
touched  a  responsive  chord  in  their  hearts  ;  among  them 
it  met  with  a  warmer  welcome,  perhaps,  than  among  the 
children  of  Israel.  It  was  due  to  these  Pagan  disciples 
that  the  Phrygian  churches  retained  that  character  of 

1  As  foundation  for  these  statistics,  Lightfoot  relies  upon  the  tribute 
money  collected  yearly  for  the  Temple,  and  once  seized  by  tlie  Propraetor 
Flaccus  in  the  cities  of  Laodicea  and  Apamea  (  Colossians,  p.  20,  notes  3 
and  4).  The  word  Ai-k  (Ki^cutSs),  which  is  joined  to  that  of  Apamea,  and 
is  found  also  on  coins  of  that  city,  is,  according  to  all  appearances,  a  Bibli- 
cal symbol.  The  coinage  of  Apamea,  engraved  in  the  time  of  Severus 
and  Macrinus,  displays  an  ark  bearing  the  name  NHE,  and  on  the  roof  is 
perched  a  bird  ;  another  bird  is  flying  toward  it  bearing  an  olive  branch  ; 
a  man  and  a  woman  stand  outside,  with  hands  uplifted  in  the  customary 
attitude  of  prayer.  The  allusion  to  the  Mosaic  story  is  evident,  and  shows 
how  powerful  an  influence  was  wielded  by  the  Jews  in  these  parts.  See 
Eckhel's  Doctr.  Num.  Vet.,  iii.  132-139  ;  Madden's  Numismatic  Chronicle, 
new  series,  vi.  173  et  seq.;  E.  Babelon,  iW/aw^es  Numismatîques,  i.  165 
et  seq. 


248  SAINT  PAUL. 

austerity  which  was  their  distinguishing  note,  as  it  was 
from  them  also  that  the  heresies  of  the  land  borrowed 
their  sombre  and  savage  aspect.  Among  the  latter  es- 
pecially the  influence  of  Phrygian  Paganism  is  most 
marked.  Gnosticism,^  by  amalgamating  the  rites  and 
mysteries  of  the  olden  worship,  soon  gave  currency  in 
these  parts  to  one  of  its  wildest  caprices,  the  adoration 
of  the  serpent,  as  identified  with  the  Son  of  God  ;  -  here, 
too,  Montanus  and  his  prophetesses  reinstated  the  fran- 
tic ceremonies  of  the  G  alii  in  their  feasts  of  Cybele  and 
Attis.^  Such  forms  of  religion,  at  once  barbarous  and 
sensual,  revived  spontaneously  in  Phrygia  and  seemed 
the  proper  offspring  of  its  singular  landscape,  with  its 
highlands  wrapped  in  murky  gloom,  the  hill  slopes  bak- 
ing in  the  sun,  and  the  whole  land  continually  shaken 
by  subterranean  fires.'^ 

Although  Christianity,  when  presented  under  the 
aspects  we  have  just  alluded  to,  was  most  attractive  to 
the  genius  of  this  country,  it  was  as  certainly  repugnant 
to  their  tastes  when  clothed  in  the  language  which  Paul 
used  in  teaching.  Neither  from  a  dogmatic  or  a  spiritual 
standpoint  was  the  Apostle's  theology  likely  to  charm 
such  minds.  Though  piously  collected  by  his  foremost 
disciples  hereabouts,  it  was  never  relished,  nor  even  well 

1  We  have  already  seen  some  of  the  most  striking  features  of  Gnosti- 
cism, when  considering  the  errors  propagated  by  Simon  the  Magician 
{Saint  Peter,  Chap.  V.,  §  1),  and  we  shall  have  to  examine  them  again  more 
in  detail  when  we  come  to  the  history  of  S.  Paul's  later  years.  These 
vagaries,  though  varying  infinitely,  had  this  much  of  a  common  basis,  that 
they  all  started  with  the  idea  that  God  is  a  pure  abstraction,  because  He  is 
an  indefinable  and  inaccessible  Being,  who  has  created  the  external  world 
alone,  and  only  acts  upon  it  by  means  of  inferior  beings  emanating  one 
from  another. 

-  Phrygian  rites  and  mysteries  played  a  considerable  part  in  those  mad 
practices  and  fancies  —  a  monstrous  figment  of  man's  brain  —  which 
constituted  the  Gnosticism  of  the  Ophites,  so  called  from  the  serpent 
which  they  worshipped.  The  details  given  by  Hippolytus  {Hœres.,  v.  7 
et  seq.)  leave  no  doubt  as  to  this  fact. 

3  The  term  "  of  the  sect  of  the  Phrygians  "  was  commonly  used  in 
olden  times  to  designate  the  Montanists.  Clement  of  Alexandria,  Stro- 
mata,  vii.  17.  Cf.  Eusebius,  Hist.  EccL,  iv.  27  ;  v.  16.  Hippolytus,  Hœres., 
viii.  19;  x.  25. 

*  Strabo,  xii.  viii.  18;  xiii.  iv.  11. 


THIRD  MISSION.  — PROVINCE   OF  ASIA.         249 

understood,  by  the  common  folk,  who  showed  no  traces 
of  its  effects  in  their  conduct  of  life.  But  it  would  be  a 
grievous  mistake  to  suppose  that  his  written  doctrine  is 
a  complete  summary  of  Paul's  preaching  ;  for  him,  as 
well  as  for  the  Twelve,  the  first  and  essential  duty  was 
to  rehearse  the  discourses  and  great  deeds  of  the  Master, 
as  contained  in  that  spoken  Gospel,  which  the  mission- 
ary was  never  tired  of  repeating  and  explaining  to  his 
catechumens.  It  was  this  oral  Gospel,  then,  which  Epa- 
phras  was  most  eager  to  learn  by  heart  at  Ephesus,  — 
this  it  was  which  he  proceeded  to  diffuse  among  the 
congregations  along  the  Lycus.  The  Word  of  the  Lord, 
almost  as  much  because  of  its  mysterious  depths  as  on 
account  of  its  limpid  clearness,  offered  the  sweetest 
nourishment  to  the  mystical  genius  of  these  regions; 
visions  of  another  life,  of  glory,  truth,  and  light  which 
floated  in  their  dreaming  hours,  were  now  embodied  in 
Jesus,  becoming  a  divine  reality.  Saint  John  in  his  Epis- 
tles, as  well  as  in  his  Gospel,  is  evidently  speaking  the 
language  of  that  Asiatic  Province  which  was  his  latest 
home  and  his  own  domain;  therein  we  encounter  the 
natural  outcome  of  his  environment  and  his  times,  couched 
under  a  form  proper  to  Christian  ideas  ;  it  is  no  hard 
task  to  determine  how  far  this  form  differed  from  the 
style  used  by  Paul  in  his  Epistles. 

Again  we  should  err  were  we  to  seek  in  this  diversity 
of  style  for  proofs  of  certain  pretended  divisions  in  this 
earliest  period  of  the  existence  of  the  Church.  That 
Paul  never  could  or  did  adapt  either  his  genius,  or  liis 
language,  or  his  doctrines,  to  suit  the  tastes  of  the  Asi- 
atic Greeks,  —  that  consequently  his  writings  and  his 
name  were  held  in  less  esteem  in  Asia  than  were  those  of 
John,  his  successor,  —  this  we  may  freely  grant  ;  but  to 
conclude  from  this  that  the  Faith  as  preached  by  him  gave 
place  to  a  contrary  teaching  is  nothing  short  of  an  exag- 
geration which  is  confuted  plainly  by  the  actual  facts 
of   history.^      The   two   Apostles  whom  certain   writers 

1  See  Banr,  ChristUche  Kirche  der  drei  ersten  Jahrhinderte,  and 
Schwegler,  Nachapostolisches  Zeitalter.      The   Protestant   school  of  Tti- 


250  SAINT  PAUL. 

would  have  us  believe  were  Paul's  opponents  —  Peter 
and  John  —  had  "  given  him  the  right  hand  of  fellowship 
at  Jerusalem,"  "  in  token  of  unity  "  ;  ^  in  the  Church  of 
Asia  they  bore  witness  to  the  same  unitedness  with  him 
in  the  work  of  God.  So  far  as  concerns  Peter's  action 
there  can  be  no  question,  since  the  letter  which  he  wrote 
from  Eome  to  the  Christian  peoples  in  these  parts  does  no 
more  (so  to  say)  than  repeat  the  theology,  even  the  very 
words  used  by  Paul.  The  same  is  true  of  Saint  John  ; 
his  entire  accord  with  the  Apostle  of  the  Nations  must 
be  evident  to  any  one  who  considers,  not  the  externals  of 
expression,  but  the  fundamental  teaching  of  his  writ- 
ings :  the  same  ideas,  the  same  principles  are  at  the  base 
of  both  men's  productions,  only  Saint  John  clothes  them 
in  the  mystical  terminology  which  was  so  delightful  to 
readers  of  Asiatic  birth.  This  is  enough  to  explain  the 
predominant  and  apparently  exclusive  preference  which 
the  teachings  of  the  latter  Apostle  obtained  in  the 
Churches  of  Asia. 

For  all  that,  Paul  was  neither  forgotten,  nor  was  he 
in  any  way  disowned,  as  some  would  have  us  infer. 
Although  Papias  of  Hierapolis,  all  intent  as  he  was  on 
collecting  the  evangelical  sayings,  makes  no  mention  of 
his  Epistles,'-^  a  Bishop  of  Smyrna,  Saint  Polycarp,  was 
acquainted  with  them,^  and  Saint  Irenseus,  his  disciple, 

bingen  bases  these  theories  on  the  assumption  that,  after  Paul's  departure, 
the  Church  of  Asia  passed  over  into  the  hands  of  the  Judaizers.  "  S. 
Philip  and  Papias,  in  whom  the  Church  of  Hierapolis  gloried,  Melito,  of 
whom  Sardis  boasted,  — these  were  all  Judeo-Christians.  Neither  Papias 
nor  Polycratus  of  Ephesus  ever  quote  Paul  :  here  the  authority  of  John 
overshadows  all  else,  and  John  is  regarded  by  these  Churches  as  a  Jewish 
high  priest."     Renan,  Saint  Paul,  pp.  366-370. 

1  Galat.  ii.  9. 

'^  The  work  in  five  books  to  which  he  owes  his  celebrity  was  entitled, 
An  Exposition  of  the  Words  of  the  Lord,  Aoyioov  KvpiaKcov  'E^r}yf](reis. 

3  His  Letter  to  the  Philippians  borrows  largely  from  the  Epistles  of 
S.  Paul,  and  mentions  in  express  terms  the  latter's  Epistle  to  the  Philip- 
pians. "  Neither  for  me,"  he  says,  "  nor  for  anyone  who  resembles  me,  is 
it  possible  to  attain  the  wisdom  of  the  blessed  and  glorious  Paul  ;  during 
his  sojourn  among  you  he  instructed  the  men  of  his  day  with  a  perfectness 
only  equalled  by  his  firmness  ;  when  away  from  you,  he  wrote  you  letters, 
which  one  need  but  glance  at  to  be  edified  in  the  Faith."  S.  Polycarp, 
Epist.  iii. 


THIRD  MISSION.— PROVINCE   OF  ASIA.         251 

names  almost  all  of  them.^  At  the  close  of  the  second 
century,  the  doctrine  preached  by  the  Apostle  was  there- 
fore still  extant  in  these  Christian  congregations,  and 
was  regarded  as  being  as  much  of  divine  origin  as  that  of 
John.  His  lack  of  popularity  among  the  average  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  in  no  wise  destroyed  his  authority 
with  men  of  great  parts,  nor  with  the  pastors  and  doctors 
of  this  Church.  Gradually,  indeed,  it  transformed  their 
genius,  communicating  to  them  somewhat  of  that  dog- 
matic vigorousness  which  was  so  notable  in  the  struggles 
which  the  Church  had  j:o  pass  through  during  the  here- 
sies of  the  fourth  and  fifth  centuries.  The  great  Coun- 
cils which  condemned  these  errors  and  formulated  the 
dogma  of  the  Incarnation  were  called  together  in  these 
very  regions.  Now  we  all  know  what  authority  they, 
one  and  all,  attributed  to  the  Letters  of  Paul.  Constan- 
tine  put  them  before  the  Fathers  of  Nicœa,  as  sealed  with 
the  same  divine  stamp  as  were  the  Gospels  and  the  utter- 
ances of  the  old  Prophets.^  At  Ephesus,  lying  though 
it  does  in  the  very  heart  of  this  land  which  is  so  often 
described  as  inimical  to  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles, — 
at  Ephesus  the  testimony  to  the  Faith  drawn  from  his 
works  was  of  no  less  weight  than  at  Nicsea.  Saint  Cyril, 
the  soul  of  the  Council  gathered  in  that  city  to  confute 
Nestorius,  appeals  to  Paul  oftener  than  to  any  other  of 
the  sacred  writers  ;  and  he  calls  him  "  the  man  in  whom 
God  speaks,  the  Interpreter  of  the  Holy  Mysteries."  ^ 

1  See  the  Prolegomena  and  Index  to  Harvey*s  edition  of  S.  Irenaeus. 

2  Gelasius  of  Cyzicus,  Histor.  Cone.  Nic,  ii.  7. 

^  'O   d€(Tir4(rios   IlaûAos,   rwv    deiuu  fxvar-qpiwv    Upovpyés.     S.    Cyril    of 
Alexandria,  Explicatio  XII.  Capitum,  Patrologie  Grecque,  Ixxvi.  297. 


CHAPTER  XL 

THIRD   MISSION    JOURNEY.  —  DISSENSIONS   IN    THE   CHURCH 
OF   CORINTH. 

His  efforts  for  the  propagation  of  the  faith  in  Asia 
did  not  so  far  absorb  the  attention  of  the  Apostle  as  to 
prevent  him  from  thinking  of  anything  beside  his  work 
in  that  great  Province.  His  "  solicitude  for  all  the 
churches  "  ^  founded  by  him  was  ever  in  his  heart  of 
hearts,  most  like  the  anxious  care  of  a  mother  when 
parted  from  her  children.  At  Ephesus  he  got  news  of 
one  and  all  oftener  and  with  less  trouble  than  anywhere 
else,  for  from  Greece,  from  Macedonia  and  the  far  East, 
all  highways  by  land  and  sea  crossed  one  another  in  that 
city.  But  it  was  to  the  opposite  shores  of  the  Archi- 
pelago that  his  eyes  turned  most  anxiously  :  Corinth,  the 
scene  of  his  greatest  victories  in  the  holy  warfare,  Corinth 
was  just  now  passing  through  a  dangerous  crisis. 

We  have  seen  from  what  various  conditions  and  states 
of  life  the  majority  of  the  faithful  in  that  city  had  been 
drawn  :  from  the  very  lowest  classes,  from  slaves,  and  lor 
the  most  part  from  the  heathen  populace.  The  Faith 
which  had  consecrated  them  in  the  Christ  had  not  ef- 
faced any  traits  of  their  inherited  temperament,  —  neither 
race  instincts,  nor  the  inclinations  to  which  old  habit  made 
them  naturally  subservient.  They  were  still  Greeks  m 
thought  and  feeling,  which  is  the  same  as  saying  that 
they  were  light-minded,  vain,  hungry  for  novelties, 
enamoured  of  all  earthly  loveliness,  of  the  beauty  of 
art  and  human  eloquence,  most  prone  to  intrigues  and 
factions.  The  appearance  of  Apollos  in  their  midst 
became  but  another  source  of  peril   in   disguise.      This 

1  2  Cor.  xi.  28. 


THIRD  MISSION.  — DISSENSIONS  AT  CORINTH,      253 

newly  converted  scholar  was,  like  all  educated  Alexan- 
drians, well  versed  in  the  higher  speculations,  and  had 
lost  no  time  in  supplying  what  was  wanting  to  the  in- 
complete lessons  he  had  received  from  Priscilla  and 
Aquila.  The  deposit  of  revelations  which  Paul  had  con- 
fided to  the  Elders  of  Corinth  was  now  at  his  service, 
and,  as  beside  his  wide  Scriptural  learning  he  had  all  the 
gifts  of  an  eloquent  speaker,^  it  was  not  long  before  he 
acquired  great  authority  over  the  congregation.  Every- 
thing went  to  justify  the  warm  words  of  recommendation 
wherewith  the  brethren  at  Ephesus  had  testified  to  his 
high  character  ;  he  was  selected  as  the  champion  des- 
tined to  confute  the  Jews  who,  since  Paul's  departure, 
were  beginning  to  pluck  up  courage  to  assail  the  new 
Faith.  Apollos,  confident  of  his  own  abilities  in  the  good 
cause,  met  them  face  to  face,  "  and  refuted  them  publicly 
with  great  vigor,  showing  from  the  Scriptures  that  Jesus 
is  the  Christ."  "  Thus  through  grace  ^  he  helped  largely 
to  uphold  the  believers  "  in  Christianity. 

Howbeit,  his  speeches  did  not  produce  the  same  fruits, 
from  the  moment  he  abandoned  the  domain  of  contro- 
versy to  expound  his  studies  in  the  realm  of  Christian 
dogma.  Nothing  certainly  could  be  more  elevated  than 
his  sublime  teachings  ;  yet  he  did  not  use  sufficient  dis- 
cretion in  adapting  his  thoughts  to  the  understanding  of 
his  hearers.  Paul,  more  accustomed  to  the  direction  of 
men's  spiritual  affairs,  had  appreciated  the  weaknesses 
of  his  converts,  and  consequently  had  nourished  them 
with  the  "  milk  of  childhood,"  ^  in  other  words,  with  the 
very  first  principles  of  the  Faith.  Apollos  was  not  so 
wise;  his  sermons  were  those  of  a  cultured  scholar,  a 
thinker  more  engrossed  with  the  sublimity  of  the  doc- 
trines he  was  treating  than  with  their  bearing  on  mo- 
rality and  the  conduct  of  life.  The  Ptevelations  which 
had  been  vouchsafed  to  Paul,  and  the  Apostle's  high 
theological  standpoint,  fascinated  the  studious  preacher. 

1  Acts  xviii.  24. 

2  The  words  Sto  rris  xap'Tos  (Acts  xviii  27),  thnn-li  omitted  in  the  Vul- 
gate and  the  Syriac  Version,  are  to  be  found  in  almost  all  the  manuscripts. 

^  1  Cor.  iii.  2. 


254  SAINT  PAUL. 

He  would  discourse  on  them  all  without  distinction,  not 
stopping  to  consider  whether  minds  still  so  carnal  were 
capable  of  assimilating  the  food  he  was  furnishing  them 
with. 

The  perilous  side  of  such  preaching  soon  became  ap- 
parent. His  words  were  welcomed  with  lively  enthusi- 
asm, for  the  Greeks  realized  at  once  that  here,  at  last, 
they  had  just  what  was  attracting  multitudes  of  their 
countrymen  to  the  schools  of  the  Khetoricians,  —  noble 
speculations  clothed  in  all  the  attractiveness  of  correct 
form  and  eloquently  set  forth.î  Doubtless  Apollos  intro- 
duced the  piquant  novelty  of  giving  an  allegorical  inter- 
pretation of  the  Holy  Books,  as  he  had  been  accustomed 
to  do  at  Alexandria,  where  this  fashion  was  in  vogue. 
What  a  contrast  between  these  brilliant  qualities  and 
the  austere  exterior  under  which  Paul  had  presented  the 
Gospel,  "  preaching  naught  save  Christ  Crucified,  to  the 
Jews  a  stumbling-block,  to  the  Greeks  sheer  folly  "  '  ^ 
The  fickle  and  superficial  Christians  among  the  Corin- 
thians could  talk  of  nothing  but  of  Apollos  and  his  ser- 
mons. Paul,  according  to  their  account,  was  a  coarse 
man,  uncultured  in  mind  and  manners,  his  discourses 
quite  beneath  their  notice.^  Such  expressions  were  taken 
deeply  to  heart  by  his  faithful  friends,  who  loved  the 
Apostle  and  fondly  cherished  the  memory  of  his  faith, 
his  generous  spirit,  and  his  ardor  in  the  cause  of  Christ. 
Doubtless  they  were  only  too  ready  to  rebuke  the  in- 
grates who  were  belittling  him,  and  at  once  proclaimed 
loudly  that  "  they  were  followers  of  Paul."  "  We  of  Apol- 
los," retorted  the  innovators;  and  so  from  arguments  they 
proceeded  to  recriminations  and  open  quarrels.  Though 
far  from  desiring  it,  Apollos  was  now  looked  upon  as  the 
leader  of  a  faction  ;  the  movement  which  his  own  im- 
prudence had  set  in  motion  caught  him  in  its  current, 
and  carried  him  along  despite  himself.  All  his  efforts  to 
restore  the  peaceful  state  of  things  were  unavailing  ;  the 
spirit  of  contradiction  and  a  tendency  to  split  up  into 
rival  parties  were  inveterate  characteristics  of  the  Greeks  ; 

1  1  Cor.  ii.  1,  4;  iii.  1,2,  etc.  -  1  Cor.  i.  23.  3  2  Cor.  x.  10. 


THIRD  MISSION.  — DISSENSIONS  AT  CORINTH.     255 

any  pretext  was  seized  upon  if  it  could  furnish  matter 
for  a  dispute,  and  their  natural  genius,  like  their  history, 
bore  the  traces  of  perpetual  bickerings.  Apollos  was  of 
too  high-toned  a  nature  to  feel  any  sympathy  for  this 
passion  for  intrigues.  He  was  indignant  at  the  unworthy 
use  they  were  making  of  his  name,  and  did  his  best  to 
put  a  stop  to  it;  but  very  soon,  in  deep  discomfiture 
at  his  own  powerlessness  to  make  headway  against  the 
movement,  he  began  to  conceive  a  strong  dislike  for 
Corinth,^  and  finally  betook  himself  to  Ephesus  in  order 
to  be  with  Paul. 

His  departure  was  only  an  aggravation  of  the  evil, 
since  it  left  the  factions  a  free  field  for  their  fighting. 
The  Israelites  were  naturally  not  slow  to  profit  by  it. 
From  his  fame  as  a  Scriptural  scholar,  Apollos  held  a 
commanding  position  over  all  men  who  were  Jewish  by 
race  or  sympathy.  Now  that  the  Alexandrian  was  out  of 
the  way,  this  party  could  hold  up  its  head  and  display  an 
audacity  which  certain  new-comers  in  their  midst  soon 
pushed  to  the  farthest  limits.  Among  the  throngs  of 
Orientals  who  were  being  landed  daily  in  the  Corinthian 
harbors,  there  chanced  to  be  some  of  those  Judaizing 
Christians  whom  we  saw  at  Antioch  making  their  vain 
attacks  on  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles.  These  sectaries, 
incensed  at  their  last  defeat,  were  keen  to  scent  out  any 
opportunities  for  revenge.  They  took  advantage  of  Paul's 
absence  to  disparage  his  personality  and  his  work.  The 
only  accredited  Apostles,  according  to  their  tale,  were  the 
Twelve,  whom  Jesus  Himself  had  appointed  to  be  the 
witnesses  of  His  Life  and  Words.  Paul  was  not  one  of 
these  ;  he  had  neither  seen  nor  heard  the  Lord  ;  as  for 
his  visions,  was  there  ever  an  impostor  who  failed  to 
appeal  to  such  credentials  ?  To  be  sure,  he  was  forever 
boasting  of  his  Eevelations,  in  and  out  of  season  :  but  to 
what  avail  ?  words  and  threats  from  such  a  source  were 
the  merest  braggadocio  ;  in  point  of  fact,  he  dared  not  do 
anything.  What  right,  indeed,  had  he  to  command  their 
obedience,  with  the   boldness  of  a  Peter  or  a  James  ? 

1  1  Cor.  xvi.  12. 


'256  SAINT  PAUL. 

Furthermore,  was  it  not  evident  enough  that  he  realized 
how  poorly  founded  were  his  pretensions,  since  no  one 
could  say  that  the  man  ever  laid  claim  to  the  special 
privileges  of  the  Apostolic  Office,  —  that  of  living  at  the 
expense  of  the  community  and  being  ministered  to  by  the 
believing  members  or  by  pious  women  ?  ^ 

In  this  way,  everything,  even  the  heroic  unselfishness 
of  Paul's  life,  was  turned  into  a  weapon  against  him  in 
the  hands  of  these  foes.  They  wielded  them  with  all  the 
more  vigorousness  and  hardihood,  since,  as  visitors  recom- 
mended by  the  Mother  Church  and  bearers  of  signed  cre- 
dentials, they  could  claim  to  speak  in  her  name.^  How- 
ever, since  James  of  Jerusalem  was  not  so  well  known  a 
personage  in  this  distant  Christian  society  as  was  Peter, 
the  Head  of  the  Twelve,  these  Judaizing  emissaries 
affirmed  that  the  latter  was  their  leader.  Forthwith 
they  plunged  into  the  heat  of  the  strife,  which  was 
already  ringing  with  the  shouts  of  "  We  are  for  Apollos  !  " 
"We  are  for  Paul  !"  with  their  new  war-cry,  "We  are  for 
Cephas  !  "  "  And  I  for  Christ,"  Paul  added  sorrowfully, 
when  the  noise  of  these  dissensions  reached  his  ears.^ 

Thanks  to  the  exuberance  of  its  spiritual  life,  the 
Church  of  Corinth  had  heretofore  escaped  any  back- 
slidings  into  the  slough  of  Pagan  habits  which  they  had 
succeeded  in  shaking  off  almost  completely.  But  in  the 
unitedness,  the  peace  and  charity  of  its  opening  day,  the 
body  had  lost  somewhat  of  the  true  valor  of  soldiers  of 
the  Cross;  the  tainted  atmosphere  of  the  town  which  they 
had  been  so  long  forced  to  breathe  began  to  disseminate 
those  germs  of  corruption  which  are  too  prompt  to  breed 
in  a  thin  soil.  Indeed,  among  many  of  the  converts  the 
bad  habits  of  their  past  lives,  whose  dark  stains  had  been 
washed  away  by  baptism,  had  left  lingering  tendencies 
to  a  loose  conduct  of  life.  The  Christian  conception  of 
the  marriage  tie,  despite  the  great  efforts  made  to  im- 
press them  with  its  sacredness,  retained  its  influence  over 
their  actions  solely  by  the  power  of  God's  grace;  at  the 

1  2  Cor.  xi.  5  ;  I  Cor.  iv.  18,  19;  ix.  1-6. 

2  2  Cor.  iii.  1-3.  3  i  Cor.  i.  11, 12. 


THIRD  MISSION.  — DISSENSIONS  AT  CORINTH.      257 

first  sign  of  falling  away,  this  was  the  Sacrament  which 
was  first  to  lapse  into  disrepute.  The  same  was  true  of 
continency  :  accustomed  by  their  Pagan  training  to  regard 
any  infractions  of  this  duty  as  entirely  lawful,  or  at  least 
trivial  errors,  large  numbers  of  converts  were  beginning 
to  introduce  the  dissolute  features  of  their  former  life 
into  the  bosom  of  Christianity. 

The  same  troubles  that  were  now  agitating  their  hearts 
began  to  show  themselves  in  their  intellectual  life.  Every 
man  in  Corinth  who  had  any  right  to  be  reckoned  among 
the  learned  and  wise  according  to  worldly  standards  — 
the  Sophists,  the  Rhetoricians,  and  the  Masters  of  Arts  — 
regarded  Paul's  preaching  as  the  merest  folly,  dwelling 
as  it  did  on  naught  but  a  bleeding  and  crucified  Christ. 
Unhappily  the  neophytes  were  the  more  likely  to  be 
unsettled  by  their  attacks,  since  they  had  no  Apostle  nor 
even  any  teacher  of  high  repute  among  them  to  whom 
they  could  appeal  for  reassuring  arguments  ;  Apollos  had 
disappeared,  and  Corinth,  like  most  Christian  communi- 
ties of  that  transition  period,  was  not  yet  in  possession  of 
either  a  Bishop  or  any  pastors,  in  the  full  sense  of  these 
titles,  —  men  duly  authorized  to  stand  forth  and  speak 
and  do  battle  in  the  name  of  the  whole  body,  men  whose 
duty  it  was  to  put  down  error  with  the  power  of  Apostolic 
Tradition. 

This  lack  of  anything  like  a  Hierarchy,  while  it  worked 
to  the  prejudice  of  the  defence  of  the  Faith,  was  still  more 
disastrous  when  it  became  a  question  of  preserving  order 
in  their  public  meetings.  We  have  studied  together 
some  of  the  principal  features  of  these  gatherings,^  so 
notable  at  that  period  for  the  overflowing  gifts  of  God's 
grace.  In  fraternities  where  a  humble  and  unobtrusive 
spirit  of  brotherly  love  reigned  in  all  hearts,  whether  it 
was  a  question  of  Prophecy,  or  Miracles,  or  the  Gift  of 
Tongues,  all  were  turned  to  the  edification  of  the  brethren, 
and  at  first  this  was  the  case  in  Corinth  ;  but  from  the 
moment  that  vanity,  and  the  spirit  of  party  feeling,  with 
its  noisy  contentions,  took  possession  of  the  Church,  these 

1  See  Chapter  VIIL 
17 


258  SAINT  PAUL. 

tokens  of  Grace  gave  place  to  scenes  of  scandalous  dis- 
order. Some  of  the  speakers  who  boasted  of  inspiration 
from  on  High  were  really  more  remarkable  for  their 
stickling  for  precedence,  fond  of  vaunting  the  superior 
value  of  their  privileges,  always  ready  to  interrupt  an- 
other, bent  upon  squabbling  even  over  the  gifts  of  God.^ 
Women  busied  themselves  in  fomenting  these  rivalries  ; 
as  they  were  accustomed  to  enjoy  a  large  liberty  in  Corin- 
thian society,  they  had  now  no  hesitation  about  consid- 
ering themselves  in  every  respect  the  equals  of  the  men, 
especially  in  Christian  places  of  worship,  where  they  were 
the  first  to  speak  and  preach  and  prophesy,  with  their 
heads  uncovered  and  their  hair  falling  loosely  on  their 
shoulders.^ 

But  the  most  scandalous  abuses  were  those  that  crept 
in  during  the  celebration  of  the  Eucharistie  banquet. 
Each  member  of  the  congregation,  according  to  the  pre- 
vailing custom  in  Greek  associations,  furnished  his  own 
share  of  food  for  the  Agape  ;  hence  the  rich  appeared 
with  a  goodly  store  of  provisions,  the  poor  with  little  or 
nothing.  During  the  first  season  of  Grace,  there  was  a 
spirit  of  brotherly  equality  among  them,  which  showed 
itself  in  their  kindly  ministrations  to  one  another,  thus 
obliterating  all  such  painful  distinctions.  But  when  the 
several  factions  had  finally  divided  the  Church,  the  sacred 
meal  offered  the  sad  spectacle  which  Saint  Paul  depicts  in 
these  terms  :  "  When  you  meet  together  as  you  are  doing, 
it  is  no  longer  to  eat  the  Lord's  Supper,  for  each  one  par- 
takes of  his  own  repast  without  paying  any  attention  to 
the  others.  Thus  it  is  that  one  man  has  nothing  to  eat, 
while  another  is  drunken.  What,  then,  have  you  not 
your  own  houses  to  eat  and  drink  in  ?  or  do  you  despise 
the  Church  of  God,  and  desire  to  shame  such  as  are  poor  ? 
What  shall  I  say  to  you  about  this  ?  Do  I  praise  you  ? 
Nay,  most  assuredly  I  praise  you  not."  ^  Thus  the  holy 
table,  where  all  received  Communion  in  the  Body  of 
Jesus,  was  being  transformed  into  one  of  those  profane 

1  1  Cor.  xii.  and  xiv.  passim. 

2  1  Cor.  xi.  3-15;  xiv.  34,  35.  »  1  Cor.  xi.  20-22. 


THIRD  MISSION.  — DISSENSIONS  AT  CORINTH.     259 

revels  which  followed  after  the  heathen  sacrifices  ;  side 
by  side  with  the  ecstatic  believers  who  were  so  trans- 
ported by  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  spectator  would  hardly 
fail  to  note  the  many  needy  brethren  who  could  not 
refrain  from  casting  envious  glances  now  and  again  at 
their  wealthy  neighbors,  while  the  latter  went  on  eating 
and  drinking  until  thoroughly  intoxicated.  To  such  a 
state  had  the  Agapij,  that  mystic  emblem  of  the  Chris- 
tians' love,  fallen  here  at  Corinth  I  Why  should  we  be 
surprised,  therefore,  at  the  discovery  that  from  a  source 
so  puddled  by  impure  notions  two  distinct  streams  of 
tendency  began  to  manifest  themselves  in  the  evangelical 
life  of  Corinth?  On  the  one  hand  were  families  like 
those  of  Stephanas  and  Chloë,  notable  for  their  piety  and 
edifying  behavior  ;  on  the  other,  Christians  unworthy  of 
the  name,  bent  on  introducing  Pagan  customs  into  the 
faith  and  worship  of  Jesus,  carrying  their  quarrels  before 
Greek  or  Roman  courts,  entering  Heathen  temples  and 
taking  part  in  the  banqueting  after  sacrifice  was  offered,^ 
"  seating  themselves  now  at  the  table  of  the  Lord,  and 
again  at  that  of  devils."^ 

Thanks  to  the  frequency  of  communication  between 
Achaia  and  Ephesus,  Paul  was  informed,  almost  at  once, 
of  the  melancholy  course  events  were  taking  over  in 
Corinth.  The  earliest  news,  however,  revealed  only  one 
symptom  of  their  malady,  the  growing  laxity  in  morals. 
To  stop  this  gangrenous  sore  from  spreading,  he  bade 
them  use  the  knife  at  once  and  spare  no  one.  On  this 
subject  the  Apostle  dictated  a  letter  which  has  since  been 
lost,  wherein,  among  other  recommendations,  he  forbade 
all  faithful  members  to  hold  any  intercourse  with  forni- 
cators.2  The  worldly-minded  among  the  Christians  of 
Achaia  affected  to  misunderstand  entirely  what  he  was 
alluding  to  by  these  injunctions.  "He  bids  us  not  to 
live  in  the  society  of  sinners  and  fornicators  !  "  they  ex- 
claimed ;  "  he  might  as  well  tell  us  to  quit  Corinth,  or 
the  whole  world,  at  once."  *     And  Paul  had  to  bear  a  new 

1  1  Cor.  viii.  10.  ^  \  Cor.  v.  9. 

2  1  Cor.  X.  20,  21.  *  1  Cor.  v.  10,  11. 


260  SAINT  PAUL. 

sorrow  in  learning  that  his  orders  were  generally  regarded 
as  altogether  impracticable,  while  his  words  were  mis- 
construed. But  at  the  same  time  other  news,  sadder 
still,  came  to  his  ears,  —  reports  of  the  factious  strifes 
which  were  splitting  up  the  Church  of  Corinth.  His 
first  knowledge  of  these  events  in  detail  reached  him 
through  certain  retainers  of  a  household  of  renown  in 
the  city  across  the  sea,  —  the  family  of  Chloë.^  Other 
believers  from  Achaia,  on  their  journeys  to  Ephesus,  and 
especially  Apollos,  who  returned  just  about  this  time, 
completed  the  account  of  the  divisions  now  so  wide- 
spread, telling  him  of  the  disorderly  conduct  at  religious 
gatherings,  and  how  their  morals  were  grown  so  lax  that 
even  incest  failed  to  shock  them  any  longer. 

Paul's  grief,  on  hearing  their  tale  of  disaster  to  this 
flock,  was  sharpened  by  the  consciousness  of  his  own 
powerlessness.  The  welcome  accorded  his  former  letter 
was  the  opposite  of  encouraging.  At  first  it  seemed  to 
him  that  his  only  resource  lay  in  the  efficiency  of  his 
disciples,  and,  with  this  feeling,  he  selected  Timothy  to 
act  for  him.2  Naturally  gifted  with  a  temper  notable 
for  its  tenderness  and  austere  integrity,  no  man  could  be 
more  likely  to  touch  the  sensitive  hearts  of  the  Corin- 
thians, while  at  the  same  time  impressing  them  with  the 
scrupulousness  and  severity  of  his  own  morality.  Certain 
of  the  brethren  were  associated  with  him,  and  one  of  them, 
whose  name  was  Erastus,  is  particularly  mentioned  by  the 
Acts.^  This  mark  of  distinction  gives  color  to  the  belief 
that  he  was  an  individual  of  note,  perhaps  the  same 
personage  whom  we  shall  meet  again  at  Corinth  in  the 
company  of  Paul,  and  whom  the  Apostle,  when  writing 
his  letter  to  the  Eomans,  alludes  to  as  treasurer  of  the 

1  1  Cor.  i.  11.  Some  commentators  (Michaelis,  Meyer)  make  a  mis- 
take in  holding  that  Chloë  was  an  Ephesian  who  had  some  ties  of  business 
or  friendship  which  brought  her  into  relation  with  Corinth  ;  all  the  prob- 
abilities, however,  would  lead  us  to  believe  that  she  was  a  citizen  of  the 
latter  place.  We  are  not  told  the  reason  of  the  presence  at  Ephesus  of 
certain  members  of  her  household,  or  whether  they  were  her  sons  or  her 
slaves  :  in  all  likelihood  they  came  thither  for  purposes  of  trade. 

2  1  Cor.  iv.  17. 
8  Acts  xix.  22. 


THIRD  MISSION.  ^DISSENSIONS  AT  CORINTH.     261 

city.i  It  is  difficult  to  understand  why  Paul,  instead  of 
despatching  his  envoys  to  Corinth  by  the  shortest  route, 
directed  them  to  pass  through  Macedonia  with  the  com- 
mission to  announce  a  visit  from  him  in  the  near  future, 
and  to  prepare  a  collection  for  the  poor  brethren  at  Je- 
rusalem. The  ominous  rumors  which  were  coming  from 
Achaia  probably  suggested  the  idea  of  allowing  some  time 
to  elapse  for  the  public  mind  to  cool  down,  and  thereby 
prevent  his  representatives  from  being  exposed  to  an  unfa- 
vorable reception.  Such  anxieties  on  his  part,  happily, 
proved  unfounded. 

Only  a  little  while,  indeed,  after  the  departure  of  the 
delegates,  three  Christians  from  Corinth  —  Stephanas, 
Fortunatus,  and  Achaïcus  —  arrived  at  Ephesus  and  de- 
picted the  state  of  their  Church  under  less  gloomy 
colors.  The  Apostle  put  perfect  confidence  in  them  ; 
for  Stephanas  was  the  head  of  that  household  which  was 
"dedicated  to  the  service  of  the  Saints";  he  was  illus- 
trious, not  only  from  the  fact  of  being  among  the  first  to 
accept  the  Gospel,  but  even  more  so  for  his  uprightness 
and  the  authority  it  lent  him  in  all  men's  eyes  :  "  Mark 
well,"  we  shall  read  shortly  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Corin- 
thians, "  and  consider  what  such  men  are  for  you,"  ^  your 
leaders,  and  your  patterns  for  life.  Stephanas's  com- 
panions belonged,  like  him,  to  that  portion  of  the  flock 
which  all  the  arguments  of  his  enemies  had  been  power- 
less to  win  away  from  Paul  ;  they  consoled  him  by  a 
thousand  messages  and  tokens  of  devotion  in  the  name 
of  all  his  friends.^  Their  mission  was  the  best  gage  of 
the  sincerity  of  such  expressions,  for  they  brought  with 
them  a  letter  *  wherein  the  veritable  Church,  ever  faith- 
ful to  its  Apostle,  besought  him  to  clear  up  certain 
points  in  Christian  teachings  which  had  become  obscured 
by  the  dust  of  party  strifes.  These  questions  bore  upon 
the  marriage  state  and  virginity,  concerning  meats  sacri- 
ficed to  idols,  the  ordering  of  divine  service,  and  belief  in 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead.     Paul,  with  these  letters 

1  Rom.  xvi.  23.  3  i  Cor.  xvi.  17,  18. 

2  1  Cor.  xvi.  15-18.  *  1  Cor.  vii.  1. 


262  SAINT  PAUL. 

before  him,  and  noting  the  firm,  unshaken  fidelity  of  the 
men  wlio  had  brought  them,  realized  the  fact  that  his 
authority  was  far  greater  across  the  water  than  he  had 
imagined,  and  that  his  words  would  still  be  hearkened  to 
in  Achaia  and  find  as  valiant  supporters  as  before.  He 
no  longer  hesitated.  In  the  absence  of  Timothy,  who 
usually  acted  as  his  secretary,  he  called  upon  the  aid  of 
another  of  the  brethren,  Sosthenes,i  and  to  him  dictated 
his  famous  reply,  which  we  now  know  as  the  First 
Epistle  to  the  Corinthians. 

Before  going  in  detail  into  the  questions  which  they 
had  submitted  to  him,  he  made  a  bold  attack  upon  the 
crying  evil  of  that  Church,  the  divisions  which  were 
threatening  its  ruin,  and  at  a  blow  he  confronts  and 
discomfits  those  who  were  bent  on  misconstruing  his 
doctrine. 

"Brethren,  I  adjure  you  in  the  Name  of  Our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  speak  all  the  same  speech,  and  let  there  be  no  di- 
visions among  you  ;  but  be  all  knit  together  ^  in  the  same 
mind  and  the  same  sentiments.  For  I  have  been  warned, 
my  brothers,  by  some  of  Chloë's  household,  that  there  are 
dissensions  among  you.  What  I  mean  by  this  is,  that  one 
of  you  says  '  I  am  for  Paul,'  another  '  I  am  for  Cephas,'  but 
I  am  for  the  Christ.  Is  the  Christ  divided  ?  Was  Paul 
crucified  for  you  ?  or  were  you  baptized  in  the  name  of 
Paul  ?  I  give  thanks  to  God  that  I  baptized  none  of  you, 
except  Crispus  and  Caius,  lest  any  one  should  say  that  you 
had  been  baptized  in  my  name.  I  baptized  also  the  house- 
hold of  Stephanas,  and  I  am  not  aware  of  having  baptized 
any  others.  For  Christ  did  not  send  me  forth  to  baptize, 
but  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  to  preach  without  wisdom  of 
speech,  lest  thereby  the  Cross  of  Christ  should  be  made 
void,  for  the  word  of  the  Cross  is  folly  to  those  who  are  in 
the  way  of  perdition  ;  to  us  who  are  in  the  way  of  salva- 
tion, it  is  the  power  of  God.  Therefore  is  it  written,  '  I 
will  destroy  the  wisdom  of  the  wise,  and  bring  to  naught 

1  1  Cor.  i.  1. 

2  Literally,  restored:  KaTapri(a}  has  the  meaning  to  repair,  to  set  to 
rights  what  has  been  injured  or  broken  ;  thus  it  is  but  a  continuation  of 
the  foregoing  figure,  o-xtV^aTo,  —  the  rents. 


THIRD  MISSION.  — DISSENSIONS  AT  CORINTH.     263 

the  understanding  of  the  learned.' ^  Where  is  the  wise 
man  ?  where  is  the  Doctor  of  the  Law  ?  where  is  the 
reasoner  of  this  world  ?  Has  not  God  turned  the  world's 
wisdom  into  folly  ?  For  when  the  world  had  proven  its 
inability  to  come  to  a  knowledge  of  God  through  the  divine 
wisdom  displayed  in  His  works,  it  pleased  God  by  the  folly 
of  preaching  to  save  such  as  believe.  The  Jews  demand 
miracles,  the  Greeks  would  have  wisdom;  as  for  us,  we 
preach  the  Christ  Crucitied,  to  the  Jews  a  stumbling-block, 
to  the  Gentiles  a  folly,  but  to  the  called,  whether  Jew  or 
Gentile,  't  is  God's  power  and  God's  wisdom  ;  for  the  folly 
of  God  is  wiser  than  men,  and  the  weakness  of  God  stronger 
than  men.  Mark  well,  brethren,  those  among  you  who  are 
called.  How  few  of  them  are  wise  according  to  earthly 
standards,  how  few  are  powerful,  few  of  noble  birth  ;  but 
God  has  chosen  the  foolish  according  to  this  world's  judg- 
ment in  order  to  confound  the  wise;  He  has  chosen  all 
that  is  weak  according  to  the  world  to  confound  the 
mighty  ;  ^  He  has  chosen  what  is  base  and  contemptible 
in  the  world's  eyes,  ay,  things  that  are  not,  to  bring  to 
naught  the  things  that  be,  in  such  wise  that  no  flesh  may 
vaunt  itself  in  God's  presence.^  .  .  . 

"  When  I  came  among  you,  brethren,  I  did  not  come  to 
bear  God's  witness  with  any  surpassing  skill  of  speech  or 
wisdom.  I  made  no  pretence  of  knowing  anything  among 
you  save  Jesus,  and  Him  Crucified  ;  and  all  the  time  I  lived 
in  your  midst,  I  spent  in  weakness  and  fear  and  a  great 
trembling  ;  my  words,  my  preaching,  have  not  been  like  the 
persuasive  discourses  of  human  wisdom  ;  they  were  but  the 
manifestation  of  the  Spirit  and  the  Divine  Power,^  that 
your  faith  might  rest,  not  on  the  wisdom  of  men,  but  in 
God's  strength.^ 

"  Not  that  we  have  no  wisdom  of  our  own  ;  but  this  we 
preach  to  the  perfect,  —  not  the  wisdom  of  this  world,  nor 
of  the  world's  rulers  whose  power  is  at  an  end,  but  the  wis- 

1  Tg  xxix.  14, 

2  The  MSS.  A,  CS  D^,  F,  and  G  contain  the  following  reading  : 
"  God  hath  chosen  what  is  foolishness,  according  to  the  world,  to  con- 
found the  mighty,"  —  thus  omitting  the  two  intermediary  sentences,  which 
are  given  by  the  Received  Text  and  the  MSS.  B,  C%  D^  and  J. 

3  1  Cor.  i.  10-29. 

*  The  Apostle  means  by  this,  those  miracles  and  supernatural   gifts 
which  were  then  of  such  common  occurrence  at  Christian  gatherings. 
6  1  Cor.  ii.  1-5. 


264  SAINT  PAUL. 

dom  of  God,  .  .  .  whereof  it  is  written  that  '  Eye  hath  not 
seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  hath  the  heart  of  man  conceived 
what  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  Him.'  ^  Yet 
unto  us  God  has  revealed  it  by  His  Spirit,  for  His  Spirit 
fathoms  all  things,  even  the  depths  of  God.  Who,  among 
men,  knows  what  is  within  a  man,  unless  it  be  the  spirit 
of  the  man  which  is  within  him  ?  Even  so  none  knows  the 
things  of  God  save  the  Spirit  of  God.  As  for  us,  we  have 
received,  not  the  Spirit  of  this  world,  but  the  Spirit  which 
is  of  God,  J  that  we  might  understand  the  gifts  that  God 
vouchsafes  to  us,  whereof  we  speak,  in  words  prompted  by 
the  Spirit,  not  by  human  wisdom,  communicating  spiritual 
things  spiritually.  Now  the  animal  man  is  incapable  of 
weighing  the  things  which  proceed  from  God's  Spirit;  to 
him  they  are  folly,  and  he  cannot  comprehend  them,  for 
they  must  be  judged  by  a  spiritual  light.  The  spiritual 
man,  on  the  contrary,  judges  all  things,  and  is  judged  by 
no  one.2  .  .  . 

*^  Brethren,  I  could  not  speak  to  you  as  to  spiritual 
men,  but  as  carnal  men,  ay,  as  little  children  in  Christ.  I 
fed  you  with  milk,  not  with  solid  meats,  because  you  were 
unable  to  bear  them,  and  even  now  you  are  not  able,  be- 
cause you  are  still  carnal.  For,  since  jealousies  and  dis- 
putes are  rife  among  you,  is  it  not  evident  that  you  are 
carnal  and  your  views  those  of  mankind  ?  When  one 
among  you  says,  ^  I  am  a  follower  of  Paul,'  and  another, 
'For  my  part,  I  hold  with  Apollos,'  are  you  not  acting 
as  men  ?  What,  in  sooth,  is  Apollos,  or  what  is  Paul  ? 
What  but  the  servants  through  whose  ministry  you  have 
believed,  each  one  according  to  the  gift  he  has  received  of 
the  Lord  ?  I  planted,  Apollos  watered,  but  it  is  God  Who 
gave  growth  and  increase.  He  who  plants  is  nothing,  any 
more  than  he  who  waters.  God,  Who  giveth  the  growth, 
is  all  in  all.  .  .  .  We  are  God's  fellow  laborers  ;  you  are 
the  field  which  God  is  husbanding,  the  edifice  He  is  build- 
ing. According  to  God's  grace,  which  was  given  me,  I, 
like  a  wise  architect,  laid  the  foundations  first  ;  then 
another  builds  thereon  ;  but  let  each  take  heed  how  he 
builds  upon  this  foundation  ;  for  other  foundation  can  no 
man  lay  save  the  one  that  is  already  laid,  which  is  Jesus 
Christ.  .  .  .  Therefore  let  no  one  make  his  boast  in  men. 

1  Is.  Ixiv.  4.  2  1  Cor.  ii.  6-15. 


THIRD  MISSION.  — DISSENSIONS  AT  CORINTH,     265 

All  things  are  yours,  —  Paul,  Apollos,  Cephas,  the  world, 
life,  death,  things  present,  things  to  come  ;  all  are  yours, 
but  you  are  Christ's  and  Christ  is  God's.^  .  .  . 

"  To  me  it  matters  little  how  I  am  judged  by  you  or  any 
human  tribunal  ;  .  .  .  my  Judge  is  the  Lord.  Judge  noth- 
ing before  the  time,  but  wait  till  the  Lord  comes.  He  will 
bring  to  light  what  is  shrouded  in  darkness,  and  unveil  the 
counsels  of  men's  hearts  ;  then  shall  each  obtain  of  God 
the  praise  which  is  his  due.^ 

"In  treating  of  these  things,  brethren,  if  I  have  dwelt 
exclusively  on  myself  and  Apollos,^  it  is  for  your  sakes, 
that  you  might  learn  by  our  example  not  to  overleap  the 
limits  which  the  Scripture  sets  us,*  nor  puff  yourselves  up 
haughtily  one  against  another  in  any  one's  behalf.  For  who 
is  it  that  makes  you  differ  one  from  another  ?  What  have 
you  that  you  did  not  receive  ?  And  if  you  received  it,  why 
glory  in  it  as  if  you  had  not  received  it  ?  Verily,  one  might 
well  believe  that  you  had  nothing  further  to  ask  for,  that 
of  your  own  selves  you  are  quite  rich  enough,  and  that 
without  us  you  have  found  your  way  into  the  Kingdom  of 
Christ  !  Would  to  God  that  it  were  so,  for  then  we  too 
should  be  assured  of  reigning  with  you.  But,  instead,  it 
would  seem  that  God  is  pleased  to  make  us  Apostles  the 
least  among  men,  like  felons  condemned  in  the  amphi- 
theatre to  serve  as  a  spectacle  for  the  world,  for  men  and 
Angels.  We  are  fools  for  the  love  of  Christ  ;  you  are  wise 
in  Christ;  we  are  weak,  you  are  strong;  you  are  held  in 
honor,  we  in  contempt.  Even  to  the  present  hour  we  pass 
our  days  amid  sufferings  from  hunger  and  thirst  and  naked- 
ness, we  are  buffeted,  and  have  no  certain  dwelling-place, 
and  toil  with  our  own  hands.  Cursings  we  meet  with 
blessings  ;  persecutions  we  bear  patiently  ;  railings  we  an- 

1  1  Cor.  iii.  1-7,  9-11,  21-23, 

2  1  Cor.  iv.  3-.5. 

3  In  other  words,  he  means  to  say  that  in  alluding  to  and  dealing 
with  none  but  Apollos  and  himself,  without  making  any  allusion  to  any 
of  the  less  known  leaders  of  the  parties  which  then  divided  Corinth,  his 
only  object  is  to  keep  from  embittering  any  of  his  opponents. 

*  By  this  the  Apostle  means  the  counsels  and  precepts  so  frequent  in 
the  Old  Te.stament,  concerning  humility,  distrust  of  one's  self,  and  that 
guardedness  in  thinking  and  speaking  which  man  must  needs  observe  in 
God's  presence,  as  well  as  in  his  relations  with  his  fellow  men.  For  the 
various  interpretations  of  this  passage  see  Cornely's  Commentarius  in  Prio- 
rem  Epistolam  ad  Corinthios.  pp.  105,  106. 


266  SAINT  PAUL. 

swer  with  prayers.     We  are  the  offscourings  of  the  world, 
the  lowest  refuse,  even  to  this  day.^ 

"  Nor  is  it  to  shame  you  that  I  write  you  these  things, 
rather  I  would  caution  you  as  dearly  beloved  children.  For 
though  you  may  have  ten  thousand  masters  in  the  Christ, 
yet  you  have  not  many  fathers,  since  1  was  the  one  who 
begat  you  in  Christ  Jesus,  by  the  Gospel.  Then  be  my 
imitators,  I  beg  of  you,  even  as  I  myself  am  an  imitator  of 
Christ.  And  for  this  cause  I  have  sent  to  you  Timothy, 
who  is  my  beloved  and  faithful  son  in  the  Lord.  He  shall 
recall  to  your  minds  what  manner  of  life  I  myself  lead  in 
Jesus  Christ,  according  to  my  teachings  everywhere  in  all 
the  Churches.  Certain  persons,  in  the  belief  that  I  would 
not  return  to  you,  have  been  filled  with  arrogance.  I  shall 
come  to  see  you,  notwithstanding,  and  in  a  little  while  if 
the  Lord  will;  then  I  shall  judge,  not  the  words,  but  the 
deeds  of  those  who  are  so  puffed  up.  For  God's  Kingdom 
consists  not  in  words,  but  in  deeds.  Which  will  you  have  ? 
Must  I  come  with  rod  in  hand,  or  with  love  and  in  the  spirit 
of  gentleness  ?  "  '^ 

The  tone  of  this  letter  makes  it  evident  that  Paul  was 
fully  reassured  of  his  ascendency  at  Corinth  and  felt  him- 
self in  a  position  to  put  down  the  abuses  there.  He  begins 
with  one  which  had  horrified  him  most  of  all,  the  presence 
of  an  incestuous  man  in  that  Christian  body. 

"  It  is  told  abroad  that  impurity  is  rife  among  you,  and 
such  impurity  the  like  of  which  is  not  to  be  found  among 
the  Heathen  ;  that  one  of  your  number  has  taken  his 
father's  wife  !  And  after  that  you  are  still  puffed  up  with 
pride,  and  are  not  rather  in  tears,  neither  have  you  driven 
from  your  midst  that  man  who  has  committed  such  a  deed  ! 
For  me,  —  absent  from  you  in  the  body,  but  present  in  the 
spirit,  —  I  have  already  passed  sentence,  as  though  present, 
on  him  who  committed  this  crime.  In  the  Name  of  Our 
Lord  Jesus,  you  and  my  spirit  being  assembled  together, 
let  the  guilty  creature,  through  the  power  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  be  delivered  over  unto  Satan  for  the  destruction  of 
his  flesh,  that  so  his  soul  may  be  saved  in  the  Day  of  Our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ."  ^ 

1  1  Cor.  iv.  6-13.  2  1  Cor_  jy,  14-21.  »  j  Cor,  v.  1-5. 


THIRD  MISSION.— DISSENSIONS  AT  CORINTH.     267 

Here  the  Apostle  gives  us  a  striking  example  of  Ex- 
communication, accompanied  too  by  its  severest  conse- 
quences, —  penalties  which  affect  man's  bodily  life,  in  the 
hope  of  saving  his  soul.  Very  rarely,  as  we  know,  does 
the  Church  exercise  this  right  in  its  fullest  sense  ;  she  is 
a  mother,  and  cannot  help  loving  even  those  whom  she 
casts  out.  But  Paul  was  face  to  face  with  one  of  those 
crises  when  the  sacrifice  of  one  of  its  members  is  the  only 
way  to  save  the  whole  body.  He  must  needs,  therefore, 
have  recourse  to  the  power  which  Jesus  had  given  the 
Apostles  over  demons  and  physical  ills,^  using  it  to  inflict 
some  malady  of  whose  nature  we  are  left  in  ignorance  on 
the  guilty  man.  In  like  manner,  appealing  to  the  same 
awful  power,  Ananias  and  Sapphira  had  been  struck  down 
at  the  feet  of  the  Twelve.^  But  under  the  present  cir- 
cumstances, Paul's  action  was  not  prompted  so  much  by 
his  natural  indignation,  as  by  his  anxiety  to  prevent  the 
contagion  of  sin.  Borrowing  his  imagery  from  the  azym 
loaves  of  the  Passover,  which  was  now  near  at  hand,  he 
said  t©  them,  "  Do  you  not  know  that  a  little  leaven 
leaveneth  the  whole  dough  ?  Cast  out  the  old  leaven 
that  you  may  be  a  new  dough,  an  unleavened  dough,  even 
as  you  are.  Our  Passover  is  the  Christ  offered  up.  There- 
fore let  us  celebrate  this  Feast,  not  with  the  old  leaven 
of  malice  and  corruption,  but  with  the  unleavened  bread 
of  sincerity  and  truth."  ^ 

The  Apostle,  despite  his  anxiety  to  cleanse  away  all 
impurities  fermenting  in  the  mass,  nevertheless  took 
care  to  mark  out  clearly  those  limits  to  which  he  would 
restrict  their  dealings  with  the  wicked.  The  reader  will 
recall  the  scornful  criticisms  which  certain  Corinthians 
had  uttered  on  hearing  that  passage  from  a  letter  written 
by  him,  "  Keep  no  company  with  fornicators."  He  reverts 
to  this  to  explain  his  instructions.  "  By  this  I  do  not 
mean,"  he  tells  them,  "  the  fornicators  of  this  world,  any 
more  than  the  avaricious,  the  despoilers  of  others'  prop- 
erty, nor  idolaters  :  for  so  you  would  need  go  utterly  out 

1  Luke  ix.  i.  2  Acts  v.  1-11.  «  1  Cor.  v.  6-8. 


268  SAINT  PAUL. 

of  the  world."  ^  The  offenders  whom  he  had  in  mind 
were  those  Christians  alone  who  were  guilty  of  these 
crimes,  and  with  such  he  forbade  them  to  have  any  deal- 
ings, not  even  eating  in  their  company.  Thus,  in  com- 
munities founded  by  him,  the  Apostle  had  recourse  to 
that  measure  prescribed  by  the  Law  for  some  special 
cases,'-^  and  extended  by  the  Synagogue  to  include  very 
many  sins,^  whereby  certain  individuals  were  cut  off  from 
the  people.  This  sentence,  which  not  merely  excluded 
the  guilty  person  from  religious  gatherings,  but  also  laid 
an  interdict  on  all  relations  with  him,  such  as  education 
in  common,  business  dealings,  or  sharing  his  meals,  was 
dreaded  exceedingly  by  the  Jews.*  Paul  was  not  likely 
to  overlook  so  powerful  a  means  of  preserving  order  and 
unity  in  the  Church.  Using  in  its  fullest  sense  the 
power  which  the  Lord  had  conferred  on  His  Apostles  for 
this  purpose,^  he  adopted  the  Mosaical  rule,  and  in  his 
letter  to  the  Corinthians  he  marks  out  the  principal 
features  of  that  Canonical  Penance  which  in  after  ages 
was  to  assume  such  importance  :  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
Church  restricted  to  her  own  children,  the  excommuni- 
cation of  the  condemned  by  name  promulgated  by  the 
heads  of  the  community. 

These  disciplinary  rules  brought  to  mind  another 
abuse  which  he  must  correct.  From  the  day  of  their 
separation  from  the  Synagogue,  it  was  no  longer  possible 
for  Christians  to  appeal  to  Jewish  courts,  legally  estab- 
lished and  authorized  by  Rome.  There  was  always 
free  access  to  the  Pagan  judges,  however,  and  to  them 
many  of  the  new  Faith  were  in  the  habit  of  submit- 
ting their  grievances.  This  aroused  Paul's  indignation. 
"  Know  you  not  that  we  shall  judge  the  Angels  them- 
selves?    And  should  we  not   judge  the  affairs  of  this 

1  1  Cor.  V.  10. 

2  Ex.  XXX.  33,  38;  xxxi.  14  ;  Lev.  xvii.  4;  Num.  xii.  14,  etc. 

3  Lightfoot,  Horœ  Hebraicce,  1  Cor.  v.  15. 

*  To  quote  but  one  example  in  point  :  it  was  the  fear  of  being  driven 
from  the  Synagogue  which  prevented  many  Jews  of  high  rank  from  con- 
fessing their  faith  in  Jesus.     John  xii.  42. 

5  Matt,  xviii.  15-18. 


THIRD  MISSION.— DISSENSIONS  AT  CORINTH.     269 

world  ?  So,  then,  if  you  have  some  suit  among  your- 
selves touching  things  of  here  below,  choose  the  least 
esteemed  in  the  Church  and  make  them  your  judges."  ^ 
We  must  not  consider  this  as  anything  but  a  bit  of  irony, 
for  the  Apostle  is  quick  to  curb  his  wrath  and  at  once 
proceeds  to  remind  them  that  their  own  Church  could 
furnish  many  a  wise  and  prudent  man  well  able  to  act  as 
arbitrator  between  his  brethren  ;  but  this  vehement  touch 
is  enough  to  show  how  greatly  he  dreaded  the  contagion 
of  Paganism,  which  threatened  his  ^flock.  Fornication 
especially,  that  pest  which  was  sapping  the  life-blood  of 
Corinth,  filled  him  with  a  holy  horror  ;  he  reverts  to  it 
once  more  in  terms  which  show  the  Apostolic  power  he 
felt  authorized  to  use. 

"  Know  you  not  that  your  bodies  are  the  members  of 
Christ  ?  Shall  I  then  take  the  members  of  Christ  and 
make  them  the  members  of  a  harlot  ?  God  forbid  !  Do 
you  not  know  that  he  who  is  united  to  a  harlot  becomes 
one  body  with  her  ?  '  For  they  twain  shall  be  one  flesh/  ^ 
says  the  Scripture  ;  but  he  that  remains  united  to  the  Lord 
is  one  spirit  with  Him.  Flee  fornication.  .  .  .  Know  you 
not  that  your  body  is  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  Who 
dwelleth  within  you  and  cometh  to  you  from  God,  and  that 
you  are  no  longer  your  own,  for  you  are  bought  with  a 
great  price  ?     So,  then,  glorify  God  in  your  body."  ^ 

These  questions  relating  to  Chastity,  in  the  married  state 
as  in  that  of  celibacy,  were  among  the  foremost  points 
of  doctrine  concerning  which  the  Church  of  Corinth  had 
begged  the  Apostle  to  enlighten  them.  In  Paul's  eyes, 
ever  fixed  on  the  Evangelical  Counsels,  Virginity  stood 
forth  as  the  ideal  of  Christian  perfection,  the  only  ideal 
life  for  souls  strong  enough  to  subjugate  flesh  and  blood. 
Filled  with  this  thought,  he  proclaims  that  man's  best 
estate  is  only  to  be  attained  through  continency.  As  for 
those  Christians  who  are  too  weak  for  the  struggle,  they 
must  forego  this  highest  good  ;  for,  though  Virginity  is 
so  much  better  than  Marriage,  yet  the  latter  is  immeas- 

1  1  Cor.  vi.  1-4.  2  Gen.  ii.  24.  »  1  Cor.  vi.  15-20. 


270  SAINT  PAUL. 

urably  better  than  evil  concupiscence.  Howbeit,  they 
must  be  prepared  to  assume  very  heavy  and  painful 
obligations  if  they  would  enter  on  the  wedded  life  :  the 
rights  of  both  parties  are  equal,  neither  can  thereafter 
claim  individual  independence  ;  there  is  no  term  set,  no 
relaxation  allowed,  to  the  duties  of  their  state,  unless  for 
a  season,  and  by  mutual  consent,  husband  and  wife  sepa- 
rate in  order  to  devote  themselves  to  a  life  of  prayer  ; 
anything  like  abandonment  is  prohibited,  save  in  the 
case  when  one  of  the  couple,  who  persists  in  his  infidel- 
ity, asks  to  be  released.  "  Let  him  go,"  says  the  Apostle, 
"  for  our  brother  or  our  sister  is  not  bound  under  such 
circumstances  :  God  has  called  us  to  live  in  peace."  ^ 

Evidently  the  underlying  thought  in  Paul's  mind 
when  wording  this  reply,  was  his  longing  to  free  his  flock 
from  the  base  passions  which  were  degrading  Corinth, 
and  this  he  did  by  laying  greater  stress  on  Christian 
purity  of  conduct.  What  more  powerful  motive  could 
he  suggest  than  the  rapid  flight  of  our  life's  short  day, 
and  our  uncertainty  as  to  the  hour  when  Jesus  shall  re- 
appear like  the  lightning  in  the  clouds,  to  confound  and 
judge  the  world  ?  "  The  time  is  short  ;  let  them  that 
have  wives  be  as  though  they  had  none,  and  they  that 
use  this  world  as  not  using  it,  for  the  figure  of  this  world 
is  passing  away.  What  I  most  wish  is  to  behold  you 
free  from  cares  and  anxieties."  ^ 

Viewed  from  this  exalted  standpoint,  all  diversities  in 
the  social  status  of  mankind  seem  to  the  Apostle  of  so 
slight  importance  when  contrasted  with  eternal  salva- 
tion, that  he  deems  it  useless  to  introduce  any  changes 
so  long  as  there  is  nothing  culpable  in  such  relations. 
Consequently  he  sees  no  reason  for  breaking  off  marriages 
contracted  before  the  conversion  of  one  party  to  the  con- 
tract ;  "  for  the  unbelieving  husband  is  hallowed  by  the 
believing  wife  ;  the  unbelieving  wife  is  hallowed  by  the 
believing  husband,  and  the  children  who  would  otherwise 
remain  unclean,  become  holy."-^  The  sole  precaution 
urged  on  them  is  to  see  that  in  future  such  unions  be 

1  1  Cor.  vii.  2-15.  2  i  Cor.  vii.  29-32.  -  1  Cor.  vii.  14. 


THIRD  MISSION.— DISSENSIONS  AT  CORINTH.     271 

between  Christian  men  and  women  ?  ^  With  this  excep- 
tion, all,  whether  faithful  couples,  virgins  or  widows, 
bond  or  free,  circumcised  or  uncircumcised,  —  all  may 
belong  to  the  Christ  ;  this  being  true,  why  disturb  exist- 
ing family  and  social  relations  ?  "  Brethren,"  the  Apostle 
concludes,  "  let  each  remain  in  the  state  wherein  he 
was  when  he  was  called,  and  there  let  him  abide  as 
in  God's  sight."  ^ 

From  these  counsels  of  morality  and  the  Christian  con- 
duct of  life,  the  Apostle  passes  on  to  a  difficulty  of  a 
practical  nature,  which  had  been  submitted  to  him  by 
the  Corinthians.  Was  the  use  of  food  which  had  served 
for  the  celebration  of  idolatrous  sacrifices  a  forbidden 
thing?  Christians  were  constantly  exposed  to  the  dan- 
ger of  purchasing  such  provisions  in  the  city  markets,  or 
finding  them  on  the  tables  of  Pagan  households,  where 
family  or  friendly  ties  made  them  frequent  guests.  Was 
it  necessary  to  inquire  scrupulously  as  to  the  origin  of 
everything  set  before  them,  and  to  abstain  from  anything 
which  came  from  the  temples  ?  Paul's  decision  proved 
that  he  was  as  large-minded  as  he  was  prudent.  Accord- 
ing as  the  Church  freed  itself  from  Mosaical  prescriptions 
and  extended  farther  into  Pagan  territory,  the  prohibitions 
decreed  by  the  Assembly  of  Jerusalem  ^  were  less  strictly 
obligatory,  inasmuch  as  they  had  no  longer  the  same 
importance.  The  Apostle  considered  that  the  time  had 
come  to  declare  the  truth  in  the  frankest  terms.  "  Seeing 
that  an  idol  has  no  true  being,  and  since  there  is  no  other 
God  save  the  one  only  God,"^  the  animal  offered  in  the 
temple  cannot  be  made  impure  thereby.  Absolutely 
speaking,  therefore,  there  is  no  reason  why  a  Christian 
should  not  use  such  food  without  troubling  himself  as  to 
whence  it  came  ;  howbeit,  this  was  only  on  one  condition, 
that,  while  enjoying  this  freedom  of  action,  no  scandal 
be  given  to  the  neighbor;  for  there  are  many  weaker 

1  1  Cor.  vii.  39. 

2  1  Cor.  vii.  24. 

3  One  of  them,  it  will  be  remembered,  forbade  the  use  "  of  anything 
sacrificed  to  idols."     Acts  xv.  29. 

*  1  Cor.  viii.  4. 


272  SAINT  PAUL. 

characters  who  cannot  go  so  far  as  to  conceive  that  these 
false  gods  have  no  real  existence,  and  hence  regard  it  as 
an  idolatrous  act  to  eat  what  has  been  consecrated  to 
devils.  It  is  the  part  of  an  enlightened  Christian  to  be 
tender  toward  these  prejudices,  to  forget  himself  for  the 
sake  of  his  less  clear-sighted  brethren,  and  thus  sacrifice 
somewhat  of  his  learning  and  liberty  for  their  welfare  ; 
for  though  "  all  things  be  lawful  "  to  him,  "  yet  not  all 
things  are  expedient,  all  things  are  not  edifying."  ^  "  If 
the  food  I  am  eating  scandalizes  my  brother,"  exclaims 
the  Apostle,  "  I  would  rather  not  eat  all  my  life  long  than 
be  the  occasion  of  his  fall."^ 

In  a  line  Paul  sums  up  his  teaching  on  this  point: 
"Knowledge  puffs  up,  Charity  edifies."^  Certain  Chris- 
tians, forgetting  this  truth,  were  pushing  their  liberty 
beyond  bounds,  and  let  themselves  be  led  into  taking 
part  in  the  feast-making  which  followed  sacrificial  rites  of 
Heathendom.  The  Apostle  puts  forth  all  his  vigor  to 
stop  this  abuse,  reminding  them  that,  though  the  idol  be 
nothing  in  itself,  none  the  less  is  this  worship  offered  to 
demons.  Now  the  Christian,  who  in  the  Eucharist 
receives  Communion  in  the  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ, 
cannot  at  the  same  time  "  partake  of  the  table  of  the 
Lord  and  at  the  table  of  the  demons,  —  cannot  drink 
the  Chalice  of  the  Lord  and  the  chalice  of  demons."* 
"  Whether  you  eat  or  whether  you  drink,"  is  his  conclu- 
sion, "  whatsoever  you  do,  do  all  for  the  glory  of  God  ; 
and  be  not  a  cause  of  stumbling,  either  to  the  Jews,  or 
to  the  Greeks,  or  to  the  Church  of  God,  even  as  I  also, 
for  my  part,  strive  to  please  all  men  in  all  things,  not 
seeking  my  own  good,  but  that  of  the  greatest  number, 
that  they  may  be  saved.  Follow  my  example,  even  as  I 
follow  the  example  of  Jesus  Christ."^ 

This  was  the  proper  occasion  for  vindicating  his  Apos- 
tolate  from  the  charges  aimed  at  it  :  hereupon  Paul 
frankly  meets  the  calumny  which  had  hurt  him  most 

1  1  Cor.  viii.  1-13  ;  x.  23.  *  1  Cor.  x.  14-21. 

2  1  Cor.  viii.  13.  6  1  Cor.  x.  31  ;  xi.  1. 
^  1  Cor.  viii.  1. 


THIRD  MISSION.  — DISSENSIONS  AT  CORINTH.     273 

keenly,  —  the  assertion  that,  as  he  had  never  seen  the 
Saviour,  and  was  not  really  an  Apostle,  he  dared  not 
either  live  at  the  expense  of  the  community  like  the 
Twelve,  or  accept  the  service  of  the  sisterhood,  as  was  the 
custom  of  Cephas  and  the  Lord's  brethren.^ 

^'  If  we  have  not  used  these  rights,"  he  says,  ^'  and  if  on 
the  contrary  we  are  suffering  everything  imaginable,  it  is 
because  we  would  put  no  obstacle  in  the  way  of  Christ's 
Gospel.  What  then  is  my  wage  ?  It  is  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel free  of  cost,  and  to  use  none  of  the  rights  which  this 
preaching  gives  me.  Though  free  in  the  sight  of  all,  I 
made  myself  the  slave  of  all  to  gain  more  souls.  I  made 
myself  a  Jew  for  the  Jews'  sake,  in  order  to  gain  the 
Jews.  With  those  who  are  under  the  authority  of  the  Law, 
I  have  lived  as  one  under  the  authority  of  the  Law  (though 
I  am  not  subject  to  it),  in  order  to  gain  those  who  are 
under  the  Law.  With  those  who  were  not  under  the  reign 
of  the  Law,  I  have  lived  without  Law  (not  that  I  was  with- 
out Law  regarding  God,  since  I  have  that  of  Christ),  in 
order  to  gain  those  who  were  without  Law.  I  have  been 
weak  with  the  weak,  that  I  might  gain  the  weak;  1  made 
myself  all  things  to  all  men,  in  order  to  save  all.  .  .  .  Know 
you  not  that,  in  the  races  of  the  stadium,  all  run,  but  one 
alone  carries  off  the  prize  ?  Run  in  such  wise  that  you 
may  win  it.  Whosoever  claims  the  right  to  compete  for  it 
observes  a  perfect  temperance  in  all  things,  and  this  for  a 
crown  that  withers  and  perishes  ;  but  your  crown  cannot 
fade.  As  for  me,  I  am  running,  nor  do  I  run  at  random  :  I 
fight,  not  as  the  athlete  in  the  boxing  matches,  who  strikes 
his  blows  in  the  air  ;  but  I  bruise  my  body  and  force  it  into 
bondage,  for  fear  lest,  after  having  acted  as  a  herald  for 
others,  I  myself  must  needs  depart  from  the  arena  without 
a  crown."  ^ 

The  disorderly  conduct  at  the  religious  meetings  in 
Corinth  were  fully  set  forth  in  the  letter  forwarded  from 
that  city,  —  the  Elders  laying  most  stress  on  the  for- 
wardness of  the  women,  as  well  as  the  gross  rivalries 
which  were  dishonoring  the  holy  table  and  the  exercise 

1  1  Cor.  ix.  1-6.  2  1  Cor.  ix.  15-27. 

18 


274  SAINT  PAUL. 

of  spiritual  gifts.  The  Apostle  was  urged  to  prescribe 
some  remedy.  Accordingly  he  forbade  all  interference  as 
well  as  all  public  speaking  on  the  women's  part,  while  in 
the  holy  house,  and  commanded  them  not  to  appear 
therein  without  veiled  heads,  out  of  respect  for  the  Angels 
that  surround  our  altars,  but  most  of  all  out  of  modesty, 
and  to  avoid  attracting  the  vulgar  gaze.  "  Every  woman 
who  prays  or  prophesies  with  uncovered  head,"  he  tells 
them,  "  dishonors  her  head,  for  she  is  as  though  she  were 
shaven.  ...  So,  then,  if  it  is  shameful  for  a  woman  to  be 
shorn  or  shaven,  let  her  keep  a  veil  upon  her  head."  ^ 

As  far  as  the  Eucharist  was  concerned,  Paul  needed 
only  to  remind  the  profaners  of  the  significance  of  this 
mystic  banquet,  —  that  it  is  the  renewing  of  the  Sacrifice 
of  the  Cross,  —  the  Communion  in  the  Body  and  Blood  of 
God.2 

"  For  this  reason,"  he  adds,  "  he  who  eats  the  bread  and 
drinks  the  cup  of  the  Lord  unworthily  is  guilty  of  the  Body 
and  Blood  of  the  Lord.  Then  let  each  man  examine  himself 
first,  and  thereafter  let  him  eat  of  the  bread  and  drink  of 
the  cup  ;  for  he  who  eats  and  drinks  unworthily  eats  and 
drinks  his  own  condemnation,  not  showing  the  discernment 
which  is  due  to  the  Body  of  the  Lord.  This  is  why  there 
are  many  weak  and  sickly  among  you,  and  why  many  slum- 
ber in  the  sleep  of  death."  * 

The  Apostle  dwells  more  at  length  on  the  spiritual  gifts, 
and  on  this  occasion  sets  down  the  rules  which  we  have 
seen  elsewhere  more  in  detail.^  In  this  there  were  vari- 
ous considerations  to  be  borne  in  mind  :  first  and  fore- 
most, to  respect  the  free  action  of  the  Spirit,  albeit  guarding 
against  any  abuses  of  these  supernatural  manifestations 
and  at  the  same  time  turn  the  eager  emulation  of  the 
Corinthians  into  more  useful  channels  ;  ^  but  most  of  all, 

1  1  Cor.  xi.  3-1 5„ 

2  1  Cor.  xi.  20-26. 

3  1  Cor.  xi.  27-30.  Evidently  here  it  is  a  question,  not  of  grievous  sins, 
but  of  lukewarmness  and  irreverence,  which  God  punished  then,  as  some- 
times He  does  now,  bv  sickness  and  death. 

4  See  Chapter  VIÎI. 
^  1  Cor.  xii.-xiv. 


THIRD  MISSION.  — DISSENSIONS  AT  CORINTH.     275 

he  must  convince  them  that  all  this  does  not  make  up  the 
real  life  of  the  soul.  The  true  breath  of  the  Christian's 
life,  that  which  makes  him  another  Christ,  is  Divine 
Charity.  And  to  the  praise  of  this  priceless  gift  Paul 
devotes  a  page  which  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  all 
we  possess  from  his  pen. 

"Though  I  should  speak  all  the  tongues  of  men  and 
Angels,  if  I  have  not  love,  I  am  but  a  sounding  brass,  a 
tinkling  cymbal.  Though  I  have  the  Gift  of  Prophecy,  so 
that  I  fathom  all  mysteries  and  possess  all  knowledge,  — 
though  I  should  have  all  faith  imaginable,  even  to  the 
moving  of  mountains,  —  if  I  have  not  love,  I  am  nothing. 
Though  I  should  distribute  all  my  goods  to  feed  the  poor, 
and  though  I  should  give  my  body  to  be  burned,  if  I  have 
not  love,  all  this  profits  me  nothing.  Love  is  patient,  full 
of  kindness  ;  love  is  not  envious  ;  love  is  not  boastful  ;  is 
not  puffed  up  with  pride  ;  it  observes  all  propriety  ;  does 
not  seek  after  its  own  interests  ;  is  not  easily  irritated  ; 
thinks  no  evil  ;  nor  does  it  rejoice  in  injustice,  but  on  the 
contrary  rejoices  in  the  truth.  Tt  covers  over  all  things, 
believes  all  things,  hopes  all  things,  endures  all  things. 
Love  shall  never  pass  away.  Prophecies  shall  have  their 
end;  the  Gift  of  Tongues  vanish;  gifts  of  learning  be  made 
void  ;  for  our  learned  gifts  are  imperfect  ;  imperfect  is  our 
Gift  of  Prophecy  ;  but  when  the  perfect  comes,  the  imper- 
fect shall  disappear.  When  I  was  a  child,  I  talked,  I  rea- 
soned like  a  child;  now  grown  a  man,  I  have  put  away 
all  that  belonged  to  the  child.  As  yet  we  see  as  through  a 
glass,  darkly  ;  then  we  shall  see  things  face  to  face.  Now 
I  know  things  only  in  part;  then  I  shall  know  [God],  as  I 
am  known  [by  Him].  Thus,  then,  there  are  three  great 
things,  —  Faith,  Hope,  Love;  but  the  greatest  of  the  three 
is  Love."  ^ 

The  dogma  of  the  Eesurrection  of  the  dead  was  the 
last  theme  suggested  to  the  Apostle  by  the  letter  he  had 
received  from  the  Corinthians.  This  belief  had  proved 
more  repugnant  than  any  other  to  men  of  Grecian  ex- 
traction ;  consequently  many  of  the  brethren,  unable  to 

1  1  Cor.  xiii.  1-12. 


276  SAINT  PAUL. 

answer  the  scoffings  of  Pagan  friends,  had  refused  to 
accept  it,  albeit  without  denying  that  the  Christ  had  risen 
again.  It  was  no  difficult  matter  for  Paul  to  display  the 
contradictory  tendency  of  their  reasonings,  for  the  Christ, 
Who  became  man,  could  not  have  risen  from  the  dead 
unless  all  men  were  destined  to  rise  also;  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  Christian,  who  is  one  member  of  that 
Body  whereof  Jesus  is  the  Head,  is  to  be  separated  from 
Him  nevermore  ;  he  lives,  dies,  and  rises  again  in  Him.^ 
The  same  false  reasoning  was  apparent  in  the  conduct  of 
the  Corinthian  Christians  ;  had  they  not  often  taken  part 
in  ceremonies  whereat,  on  the  sudden  death  of  some 
brother  before  his  baptism,  the  rites  of  the  Sacrament 
were  performed  in  his  name,  in  order  to  procure  for  the 
deceased  the  suffrages^  of  the  Church  and  the  everlasting 
goods  promised  to  the  baptized  ? 

Without  the  Kesurrection,  furthermore,  what  becomes 
of  Christianity  ?  Vain  is  our  faith  ;  vain  the  sufterings 
and  trials  we  endure.  "If  in  this  life  only  we  have 
hope  in  Christ,  we  are  of  all  men  the  most  miserable."  ^ 
In  that  case  the  true  wisdom  would  be  that  of  Epicurus  : 
"  Let  us  eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow  we  die."  ^  But  it  is 
not  so  :  "  The  Christ  is  risen  from  the  dead,  the  first  fruits 
of  them  that  sleep  ;  as  all  die  in  Adam,  all  shall  live 
again  in  Christ,  each  in  his  own  order  ;  first  Christ  as  the 
first  fruits,  then  those  who  are  His,  who  have  believed  in 
His  coming.  And  thereafter  shall  be  the  end";  —  all 
powers  raised  up  against  the  Christ  overwhelmed  and 

1  1  Cor.  XV.  12,  13. 

2  1  Cor.  XV.  29.  In  all  probability  this  practice  had  its  origin  in  some 
analogous  usage  among  the  Jews  (see  Lightfoot's  Horœ  Hebraicce,  in  loco). 
Though  at  first  tolerated  as  a  purely  symbolical  ceremony,  this  custom  Avas 
proscribed  by  the  Church  as  soon  as  certain  sects  began  to  attribute  to  it 
the  virtues  of  a  Sacrament  (Comely,  Comment,  in  Prior.  Ep.  ad  Cor.,  in 
loco).  S.  John  ChrysOvStom  describes  the  manner  in  which  the  Marcionites 
performed  their  superstitious  rite.  Those  present  drew  near  the  dead 
body,  which  was  laid  out  on  a  bed  under  which  a  living  person  was  con- 
cealed ;  they  asked  the  dead  person  if  he  was  willing  to  receive  baptism, 
and  when  the  living  man  had  answered  for  the  defunct,  the  speaker  was 
baptized  in  his  stead  [Homilia  XL  in  I  Ep.  ad  Corinthios). 

3  1  Cor.  XV.  17-19. 
*  1  Cor.  XV.  32. 


THIRD  MISSION.— DISSENSIONS  AT  CORINTH.     217 

cast  beneath  His  feet  ;  Death  itself,  the  last  foe  of  all, 
shall  be  destroyed  ;  "  and  when  all  things  shall  have  been 
made  subject  to  Him,  then  shall  the  Son  also  be  subjected 
to  Him  Who  hath  subjected  all  things  that  God  may  be 
all  in  all."  i 

"  But,  some  one  will  say,  '  How  are  the  dead  raised  up  ? 
With  what  body  do  they  return  ?  '  Senseless  man,  dost  thou 
not  see  that  the  seed  thou  sowest  is  not  quickened  into 
life  unless  it  lirst  dies  ?  That  which  thou  sowest  is  not 
the  body  of  the  plant  which  will  spring  therefrom,  but  is  a 
mere  grain  of  wheat  or  some  such  seed  ;  God  gives  it  the 
body  which  seems  best  to  Him,  and  to  every  seed  the  body 
which  is  befitting.  All  flesh  is  not  the  same  flesh  ;  but  of 
one  sort  is  the  flesh  of  man,  of  another  that  of  beasts,  an- 
other of  birds,  another  of  fishes.  There  are  also  heavenly 
bodies  and  earthly  bodies,  but  in  glory  the  heavenly  differ 
from  the  earthly.  The  sun,  the  moon,  and  the  stars  have 
each  their  splendor  ;  but  even  one  star  differs  from  another 
in  brightness.  So  shall  it  be  with  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead.  The  body  sown  a  corruptible  thing  riseth  incorrupti- 
ble ;  sown  in  dishonor,  it  riseth  in  glory  ;  sown  in  its  weak- 
ness, it  riseth  in  might  ;  sown  in  the  animal  life,  it  riseth  a 
spiritual  body."  ^ 

For  there  is  an  animal,  earthly  body,  born  of  the  dust, 
the  body  of  Adam,  which  is  animated  by  that  purely 
natural  breath  of  life  God  breathed  into  the  face  of  man 
when  creating  him  ;  and  there  is  a  spiritual,  heavenly 
Body,  that  of  Christ,  the  second  Adam,  which  is  pene- 
trated and  transformed  by  a  vivifying  spirit.^     "  And  as 

1  1  Cor.  XV.  20-28. 

2  1  Cor.  XV.  35-44. 

^  'EyeVero  ô  irpcÔTos  'ASàju  e/'s  ^vx^v  CSxrav,  6  ç^xo-tos  'ASom  €<s  Trvivfxa 
(woTToiovv.  "The  first  iVdam  became  a  living  soul;  the  second  Adam  a 
vivifying  spirit."  1  Cor.  xv.  45.  ^vx-f)  is  the  soul  considered  in  a  lower 
sense,  —  the  inferior  part,  whereby  it  is  united  to  the  body  :  it  is  not  pre- 
cisely the  vegetative  soul,  however,  but  rather  the  sensitive  soul,  as  man 
possesses  it  to-day,  deformed  by  original  sin,  depraved  by  evil  concu- 
piscence and  in  perpetual  revolt  against  the  dictates  of  reason.  Uvev/j-a 
designates  the  higher  faculties  of  the  soul  when  permeated  with  the  grace 
of  a  supernatural  life.  S.  Paul  makes  a  clear  distinction  here  between  the 
animal  man  {\pvxiK6s),  sprung  from  the  dust  {xoïk6s),  and  the  spiritual 
man  (wvevfjiaTiKÔs},  of  heavenly  origin  {iirovpdvios). 


278  SAINT  PAUL. 

we  have  borne  the  image  of  him  who  is  but  dust,  so  also 
shall  we  bear  the  image  of  the  Heavenly  Man."  ^ 

"  And  behold  a  mystery  which  I  now  declare  to  you  :  we 
shall  not  all  die,^  but  we  shall  all  be  transformed,*  in  a 
moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the  last  trumpet  ; 
for  indeed  the  trumpet  shall  sound,  and  the  dead  shall  rise 
incorruptible,  and  we  shall  be  transformed.  For  this  cor- 
ruptible body  must  put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal 
body  put  on  immortality.  Then  shall  be  brought  to  pass 
the  words  that  are  written,  '  Death  is  swallowed  up  in  His 
victory.'  *  '  0  Death  !  where  is  thy  victory  ?  0  Death  ! 
where  is  thy  sting  ?  '  s  Thanks  be  to  God,  who  hath  given 
us  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  !  "  ^ 

The  practical  conclusion  which  the  Apostle  draws  from 
these  bursts  of  faith  and  eloquence  forms,  in  its  simplicity, 
a  striking  contrast  with  the  sublimity  of  the  doctrines 
he  has  been  illustrating.  No  matter  how  high  he  soared 
on  the  wings  of  divine  love,  Paul  never  lost  sight  of  the 
fact  that  the  Christian's  life  is  made  up  of  humble  duties 
to  be  fulfilled  day  by  day,  often  amid  dark  shadows,  and 
by  the  sweat  of  his  brow.  The  first  task  before  the 
faithful  soul  is  to  fulfil  these  duties  in  the  highest  spirit- 
ual sense,  as  a  member  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  in  union  with 
Christ,  and  through  love  for  Him  :  — 

1  1  Cor.  XV.  45-49. 

2  Concerning  those  who  shall  be  alive  on  the  last  day,  and  who  shall  re- 
ceive their  recompense  without  passing  through  the  gate  of  Death,  the 
reader  is  referred  to  Chapter  VIII.  of  this  work,  and  to  the  learned  dis- 
sertation of  Père  Delattre,  Le  Second  Avènement  de  Jesus  Christ  et  la  Der- 
viiere  Géne'ration  Humaine,  Louvaine,  1881. 

^  The  reading  in  the  Vulgate's  "  Omnes  quidem  resurgemus,  sed  non 
omnes  immutabimur,  —  We  shall  all  rise  again,  but  we  shall  not  all  be 
changed,"  is  found  in  but  a  single  MS.  (D).  The  text  as  given  above  can 
claim  the  authority  of  very  many  MSS.  (B,  E,  K,  L,  and  P),  almost  all 
the  MSS.  in  cursive  letters,  the  Syriac,  Coptic,  and  Gothic  Versions,  and 
the  majority  of  the  Fathers.  "  Quae  quum  ita  sint,  nihil  obstat,  quominus 
lectionem,  quam  testium  criticorum  auctoritas  commendat  et  contextus 
omnino  postulat,  cum  plerisque  modernis  interpretibus  adoptemus."  Cor- 
nely,  Comment,  in  I  Ep.  ad  Corinthios,  in  loco.  See  Corluy's  Spicilegium 
Dogmatico-Biblicum,  i.  329,  330. 

^  Is.  XXV.  8. 

5  (^see  xiii.  14. 

6  1  Cor.  XV.  51-57. 


THIRD  MISSION.— DISSENSIONS  AT  CORINTH.     279 

^'  Dearly  beloved  brethren,  labor  ever  more  and  more  in 
the  work  of  God,  knowing  that  your  toil  is  not  vain  in  the 
Lord.  ...  Be  watchful,  stand  firm  in  the  Faith  ;  do  man- 
fully, be  strong.     Let  all  you  do  be  done  in  love."  ^ 

The  letter  was  finished.  The  Apostle  took  the  pen 
from  the  hand  of  Sosthenes,  and,  as  was  his  wont,  traced  a 
few  words  to  serve  as  a  sort  of  signature  :  — 

''  This  salutation  is  written  hy  me,  Paul,  with  my  own 
hand.  If  any  one  love  not  the  Lord^  let  him  ie  anathema. 
MAEAN   ATHA."^ 

This  was  probably  one  of  the  invocations  so  common 
at  that  time  in  liturgical  prayers.^  In  making  use  of  it, 
Paul  had  in  mind  the  fomenters  of  dissent  who  were 
seeking  to  rend  the  seamless  garment  of  the  Church. 
But  his  heart  shrank  at  the  idea  of  taking  leave  of  the 
whole  flock  with  this  threatening  and  fearful  sentence  ; 
again  he  took  up  the  pen  and  added  this  loving  greet- 
ing : — 

"  May  the  graee  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ahidewith  you  ! 
My  love  he  with  you  all  in  Christ  Jesus.     Amen" * 

1  1  Cor.  XV.  58;  xvi.  13,  14. 

2  1  Cor.  xvi.  21,  22. 

3  Analogous  forms  are  to  be  found  in  the  Eucharistie  prayers  in  the 
Teaching  of  the  Apostles  :  "  Adveniat  gratia,  et  prœtereat  mundus  hic  ! 
Hosannà  filio  David  !  Si  quis  sanctus  est,  accédât  ;  si  quis  non  est,  pœni- 
tentiam  agat  !  Maranatha!  Amen."  (Doctrina  XII  Apostolorum,  x.  6). 
The  Aramœan  ejaculation  Maranatha,  "  The  Lord  cometh,"  or  "  is  come," 
was  so  frequently  on  the  lips  of  the  Maronites  that  they  are  said  to  have 
gotten  their  name  from  this  fact  (Stanley,  Corinthians,  in  loco.) 

4  1  Cor.  xvi.  23,  24. 


CHAPTEE   XII. 

THIRD  MISSION   JOURNEY.  —  LEAVING   EPHESUS.  —  SECOND 
VISIT  TO  MACEDONIA. 

I.  —  The  Disturbances  at  Ephesus. 

Stephanas,  Fortunatus,  and  Achaicus  were  waiting  for 
the  Apostle's  reply  to  return  with  it  to  Corinth.  Paul 
intrusted  it  to  their  keeping,  well  assured  that  "such 
men,  .  .  .  dedicated  to  the  service  of  the  saints,"  ^  would 
give  loyal  and  generous  support  to  his  written  words. 
However,  to  lend  added  weight  to  their  mission,  he  ear- 
nestly urged  Apollos  to  make  one  of  the  party  ;  but  the 
Alexandrian  Doctor  retained  too  unpleasant  a  memory 
of  his  stay  in  Corinth,  and  now  declined,^  resolutely  de- 
claring that  he  would  not  revisit  that  city  till  time  had 
been  given  their  heated  minds  to  cool,  and  their  circum- 
stances seemed  more  propitious  for  his  work.  If  the 
desire  to  procure  a  powerful  ally  for  his  messengers  was 
one  motive  which  prompted  Paul  to  press  Apollos  into 
the  enterprise,  his  anxiety  concerning  Timothy's  mission 
was  no  less  urgent  a  reason  for  seeking  all  available  aid. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  the  latter  disciple  was  only 
waiting  for  some  favorable  juncture  to  pass  over  from 
Macedonia  into  Achaia.  This  would  have  been  furnished 
him  by  the  return  of  Apollos  to  Corinth,  for  this  master, 
wdio  enjoyed  the  highest  esteem  of  the  people,  would 
have  been  a  bulwark  against  Paul's  foes.  Appearing 
among  them  alone,  and  in  the  name  of  an  Apostle  whose 
very  title  many  contested,  was  it  not  to  be  feared  that 
his  own  claims  to  authority  would  be  set  at  naught,  his 

1  1  Cor.  xvi.  15, 16.  2  i  Çor.  xvi.  12. 


THIRD  MISSION— LEAVING  EPHESUS.         281 

lack  of  self-assurance  and  his  youth  derided  ?  Paul's 
apprehensions  on  this  subject  were  so  keen,  that  he 
again  and  again  recommended  this  delegate  of  his  to  the 
good  offices  of  his  Corinthian  friends,  enjoining  that  they 
take  care,  at  Timothy's  coming,  to  see  to  it  that  a  warm 
welcome  and  safe  keeping  should  greet  him,  and  not  allow 
any  one  to  underrate  his  worth,  since  the  young  teacher 
was  indeed  his  other  self  in  the  work  of  the  Lord.^  For 
the  rest,  it  was  the  Apostle's  wish  that  his  messenger 
should  make  no  long  stay  at  Corinth  ;  but  that,  with  a 
safe  conduct  granted  him,  peaceably  and  with  all  honor, 
he  should  return  to  Ephesus  with  the  brethren  who  com- 
posed his  party.  Paul  w^as  awaiting  their  return,  ex- 
pecting to  learn  from  them  what  effect  his  letters  had 
produced. 

Howbeit,  the  advices  received  about  this  time  from 
Achaia  differed  so  widely,  according  to  the  temper  of  the 
fickle  folk  they  emanated  from,  that  his  plans  for  the 
future  were  changed  almost  constantly.  At  first  his  pro- 
ject had  included  a  hurried  journey  to  Corinth  directly 
upon  quitting  Ephesus,  after  that  a  visit  to  Macedonia, 
thence  returning  for  a  second  sojourn  in  Achaia,  finally 
embarking  from  that  port  for  Palestine.^  Once  his  letter 
was  despatched,  he  renounced  this  design.  In  his  un- 
certainty as  to  the  welcome  awaiting  him,  with  little 
inclination  furthermore  for  severe  measures,  yet  fearing 
that  he  w^ould  be  forced  to  resort  to  them  in  case  of 
resistance  to  the  truth,^  he  preferred  to  keep  away  until 
time  had  done  its  work  of  pacification.  Accordingly,  he 
resolved  to  spend  the  fifty  days  which  had  to  elapse 
before  Whitsunday  here  at  Ephesus,^  then  pass  over 
through  Troas  into  Macedonia,  and  with  that  Province 
begin  his  visitation  of  the  Churches  of  Greece/''  But 
the  time  was  long,  and  it  was  weary  work  waiting  for 
those  tardy  tidings  from  Corinth.  The  thought  of  Tim- 
othy weighed  on  him.     Why  was  he  tarrying  so  long  in 

1  1  Cor.  xvi.  10, 11.  4  1  Cor.  xvi,  8. 

2  2  Cor.  i.  16.  6  1  Cor.  xvi.  5. 

3  2  Cor.  i.  23;  ii.  1. 


282  SAINT  PAUL. 

Macedonia  ?  In  his  anxiety,  his  mind  reverted  to  another 
tried  member  of  his  band,  Titus,  and  forthwith  he  begged 
him  to  start  out  for  Achaia. 

This  was  not  the  first  time  that  this  disciple's  great 
merits  had  designated  him  for  such  a  mission.  He  had 
been  one  of  the  brethren  whom  Antioch  elected  as  her 
deputies  to  go  to  Jerusalem,^  and  in  the  debate  which 
the  question  of  his  being  circumcised  had  given  rise  to 
he  had  shown  himself  so  docile  and  faithful  to  Paul,  that 
the  latter  cherished  an  unalterable  attachment  for  him. 
The  Apostle  never  mentions  him  without  expressions  of 
high  esteem,  calling  him  "  his  true  child  in  their  common 
Faith,"  2  praising  him  as  one  "  who  walks  in  the  same 
Spirit  as  himself,  in  the  same  footsteps."^  Despite 
Titus's  unfailing  zeal,*  his  bravery  in  danger,  and  his 
natural  inclination  to  undertake  anything  with  the  best 
will,^  the  ominous  reports  from  Corinth  made  him  hes- 
itate.^ In  order  to  overcome  his  reluctance,  Paul  was 
eager  to  impress  him  with  a  sense  of  those  traits  which 
made  the  Corinthians  so  dear  to  him'  that  he  could 
truthfully  write  them,  "  No  gift  of  God  is  lacking  among 
you."  8  Howbeit  he  only  succeeded  in  persuading  his 
disciple  to  consent  by  representing  to  him  that,  besides 
the  importance  of  this  principal  mission,  there  was 
another  work  of  the  ministry  to  be  fulfilled  in  Achaia, 
to  wit,  the  collection  which  the  Christians  of  Jerusalem 
stood  in  such  urgent  need  of. 

Titus  was  fully  aware  of  the  latter  cirumstance,  for 
he   had  been  one   of  the   assembly  before  which   Paul 

1  Gal.  ii.  1,  et  seq.  3  2  Cor.  xii.  18. 

2  Tit.  i.  4.  *  2  Cor.  viii.  16, 17. 

5  2  Cor.  vii.  7,  13. 

6  There  are  several  passages  in  the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians, 
which,  without  distinctly  stating  as  much,  yet  give  us  to  understand  that 
Titus  showed  such  disinclination  ;  note  especially  the  warm  praise  which 
the  Apostle  feels  obliged  to  render  this  Church  in  order  to  encourage  him 
(vii.  13-15).  We  are  justified  in  drawing  the  same  conclusion  from  verse 
17,  chapter  viii.,  since  the  most  reasonable  translation  of  it  is  the  follow- 
ing :  "  At  present  Titus  appears  more  eager  {(nrov^aiSr^pos)  to  go  to  you  " 
than  on  the  occasion  of  his  former  departure. 

7  2  Cor.  vii.  13-15. 

8  1  Cor.  i.  4-7. 


THIRD  MISSION.  — LEAVING  EPHESUS.  283 

promised  to  procure  this  token  of  brotherly  charity  for 
the  poor  brethren  in  the  Holy  City  ;  ^  and  since  that  day, 
as  a  "  fellow  laborer  with  the  Apostle,"  ^  he  had  witnessed 
the  happy  results  of  this  liberality  in  the  joy  of  the 
Mother  Church,  who  regarded  these  alms  as  an  hom- 
age paid  to  her  legitimate  supremacy,  as  well  as  an  alle- 
viation of  the  misery  which  the  primitive  division  of 
personal  property  and  the  poverty  of  its  members  had 
made  an  incurable  failing  of  the  community.  On  the 
one  hand  Paul's  generosity  flattered  the  hierarchical  in- 
stincts of  Jerusalem  Jews,  on  the  other  it  bound  them  to 
him  by  ties  of  gratitude,  and  thus  rendered  them  more 
apt  to  bear  patiently  the  decline  of  Mosaical  Observances, 
now  growing  daily  more  noticeable  in  the  Christian  bodies 
founded  by  Paul. 

It  behooved  him  to  see  that  this  freedom  should  be 
well  assured  to  him  and  his  work  ;  as  yet  it  was  merely 
put  up  with,  and  it  was  doubly  necessary  to  renew  these 
testimonies  of  pious  submissiveness  and  devoted  love. 
Of  this  Paul  had  had  ample  proofs  on  the  occasion  of  his 
last  journey  to  Jerusalem.  We  have  seen  how  coldly 
he  was  received,  and  how  short  he  made  his  stay.^  In 
return  for  their  inhospitality  he  was  but  the  more  bent  on 
disarming  their  prejudices  by  redoubled  acts  of  charity. 
Accordingly  his  first  object  was  the  organization  of  the 
collections,  which,  being  left  heretofore  to  the  initiative 
of  the  several  Churches,  had  furnished  only  irregular 
and  insufficient  aid  to  the  suffering  of  Jerusalem.  The 
great  obstacle  which  stood  in  the  way  of  procuring  the 
generous  help  the  Apostle  coveted  was  the  very  slender 
resources  of  his  congregations  :  their  members  lived  on 
the  profits  of  the  day's  toil,  not  actually  in  want,  as  a 
general  thing,  but  in  very  modest  circumstances,  and 
with  no  fortune  beside  some  frugal  savings.  Paul  was 
loath  to  draw  largely  from  such  light  purses  by  request- 
ing big  sums  of  money  at  any  stated  time.  His  plan 
consisted  of  a  weekly  contribution,  for  even  the  trifle 
they  could  easily  spare  would  in  time  mount  up  to  a 

1  Gal.  ii.  10.  2  2  Cor.  viii.  23.  3  gee  Chapter  IX.,  p.  213. 


284  SAINT  PAUL. 

goodly  sum,  and  accordingly  he   devised  the  following 
rules  to  govern  this  voluntary  tax  :  — 

"  Let  each  of  you,  upon  the  lirst  day  of  the  week 
[Sunday],  set  apart  so  much  as  he  sees  fit,  thus  increasing 
the  sum  in  the  measure  of  his  prosperity,  so  that  when  I 
shall  arrive  there  may  be  no  collections  to  be  made.  And 
when  I  am  come,  whomsoever  you  shall  select  I  will  fur- 
nish with  letters  of  recommendation,  and  despatch  them  to 
carry  your  bounty  to  Jerusalem."  ^ 

This  was  the  way  in  which  Paul,  during  his  last  jour- 
ney, had  arranged  for  the  levying  of  tribute  to  be  sent  to 
Jerusalem  from  all  his  Churches  in  Asia  Minor.^  He 
had  therefore  but  to  extend  these  measures  to  include 
the  Christian  congregations  of  Greece.  Timothy  was  fol- 
lowing out  similar  instructions  in  Macedonia  ;  the  Apos- 
tle, when  writing  these  rules  for  the  Corinthians  in  the 
letter  which  Stephanas  and  his  companions  carried  home 
with  them,  had  even  implied  the  intention  of  accompa- 
nying to  Jerusalem  the  delegation  intrusted  with  their 
offerings.^  Evidently  he  proposed  to  present  this  gift  in 
solemn  recognition  of  the  rights  of  the  Mother  Church  ; 
with  this  view  he  hoped  to  gather  together  the  contribu- 
tions from  all  the  Christian  bodies,  and  thus,  surrounded 
by  their  representatives,  lay  them  in  person  at  the  feet  of 
the  Elders  of  Jerusalem.  While  this  in  itself  was  an 
act  of  legitimate  policy,  —  or,  as  the  Apostle  himself 
termed  his  conduct,  "  to  make  himself  all  things  to  all 
men,  that  he  might  gain  them  for  Jesus  Christ,"  —  this 
testimonial  was  something  more  in  his  eyes  :  it  was  a 
debt  of  justice  and  gratitude.  "  You  are  their  debtors," 
he  told  his  disciples,  "  for  since  the  Gentiles  have  shared 
in  the  spiritual  wealth  of  the  Jews,  they  owe  it  in  return 
to  make  them  sharers  in  their  earthly  goods."  *  And  as 
the  effect  of  this  brotherly  demonstration  of  sympathy 
would  be  all  the  greater,  and  the  more  likely  to  knit 
their  hearts  together  in  kindred  feeling,  in  proportion  as 

1  1  Cor.  xvi.  1-3.  3  1  Cor.  xvi.  4. 

2  1  Cor.  xvi.  1.  *  Rom.  xv.  27. 


THIRD  MISSION.  ^LEAVING  EPHESUS.         285 

their  tribute  furnished  a  more  adequate  relief,  thus  it 
came  about  that  Paul's  constant  aim,  at  this  period,  was 
to  excite  everywhere  a  spirit  of  generous  rivalry  in  alms- 
giving. Titus  was  too  devoted  to  his  master  not  to  enter 
into  all  his  views  ;  with  this  feeling,  accordingly,  he 
could  not  demur  longer,  but  set  out  for  Corinth  accom- 
panied by  one  of  the  brethren  whom  the  Apostle  had 
chosen.^ 

Thus  Paul  was  left  almost  alone  in  his  lodgings  with 
Aquila  and  Priscilla,  deprived  of  the  society  of  his  usual 
assistants,  Timothy,  Titus,  Luke,  and  Silas.  And  just  at 
this  time  he  was  visited  by  some  affliction  which  well- 
nigh  crushed  him  mentally  and  physically.  We  know 
nothing  of  the  nature  of  this  new  trial,  except  that  it 
was  exceptionally  severe,  since  the  Apostle,  inured  as  he 
was  to  sufferings,  found  this  one  greater  than  his  strength 
could  bear  ;  ^  this,  together  with  a  sharp  attack  of  his  old 
complaint,  brought  him  so  low  that  he  believed  his  end 
was  at  hand.2  In  this  agonized  state  of  body  and  soul, 
his  heart  alone  remained  as  eager  and  indomitable  as 
ever,  overflowing  with  vaster  plans  for  the  good  of  God's 
children  and  his  own.  In  these  designs,  moreover,  he 
was  upheld  and  encouraged  by  celestial  voices,  which 
bade  him  prepare  for  new  labors  ;  *  even  the  route  he 
should  take  was  marked  out  in  these  Eevelations, — 
Macedonia,  Achaia,  Jerusalem,  then,  beyond  this  land  of 
the  Orient  which  he  had  already  won  for  Christ,  the 
Angelic  vision  was  ever  beckoning  him  westward,  to 
where  another  people  awaited  his  burning  words.  "I 
must  go  to  Kome,"  he  was  heard  to  say  over  and  over 
again  :  it  would  seem  that  God's  Spirit  was  showing  him 
how  from  this  Capital  of  the  world,  as  from  a  mighty 
watch-tower,  the  light  of  truth  was  destined  to  irradiate 
the  earth. 

1  2  Cor.  xiî.  18.  The  name  of  this  disciple  is  unknown  ;  there  is,  how- 
ever, some  reason  to  believe  that  it  was  one  of  the  Asiatics  mentioned  in 
the  Acts  as  among  the  companions  of  S.  l^.ul.  Either  Tychicus  or  Tro- 
phimus  (Acts  xx.  4). 

2  2  Cor.  i.  8. 

3  2  Cor.  i.  9.  *  Acts.  xix.  21. 


286  SAINT  PAUL. 

One  thing  alone  detained  him  yet  a  little  while  at 
Ephesus,  —  the  approaching  festivals  in  honor  of  the  Great 
Goddess.  The  entire  month  of  May  —  the  Artemision  — 
was  consecrated  to  this  purpose.^  People  came  thither 
from  all  over  Asia,  as  much  for  pleasure  as  for  religion, 
for  though  sacrifices  were  so  plentiful  in  the  temples, 
and  though  processions  crowded  the  streets,  we  must 
not  forget  that  the  ministers  of  this  cultus  were  a 
mannerless,  immoral  crew  :  by  day  and  by  night,  dur- 
ing the  Month  of  Artemis,  Ephesus  rang  with  revelry 
and  drinking  songs.^  The  games  celebrated  at  this  sea- 
son were  almost  as  renowned  among  lovers  of  sport  as 
were  those  of  Corinth  and  Olympus  ;  ^  there  were  horse- 
races, athletic  exercises,  gladiatorial  fights,  musical  con- 
tests, and  theatrical  representations.* 

Paul,  while  mingling  in  the  throng  of  feast-makers 
during  the  preceding  year,  had  realized  that  this  was 
an  exceptionally  favorable  opportunity  for  meeting  and 
preaching  the  Gospel  to  the  Gentile  world  ;  and  now  it 
was  for  the  recurrence  of  these  celebrations  that  he 
would  delay  his  departure  till  Pentecost;    howbeit,  he 

1  The  following  decree,  whereby  the  month  of  May  is  consecrated  to 
Artemis,  was  discovered  by  Chandler  in  the  ruins  of  Ephesus,  inscribed 
on  a  tablet  of  white  marble.  "  To  Artemis  of  p:phesus.  Whereas  it  is  of 
common  repute  that  not  only  among  the  Ephesians,  but  throughout  all 
Greece,  temples  and  holy  places  have  been  consecrated  to  her,  that  she 
has  her  statues  and  her  altars  ...  ;  that,  furthermore,  as  a  worthy 
proof  of  the  respect  which  is  felt  for  her,  a  mouth  has  been  given  her 
name  and  is  known  among  us  as  the  Artemisiou,  but  by  the  Macedonians 
and  the  other  peoples  of  Greece  is  called  Artemisius,  and  during  this 
month  religious  gatherings  and  festivals  are  held,  especially  in  this  our 
city,  who  is  the  nurse  of  our  Ephesian  Goddess  ;  therefore  the  citizens  of 
Ephesus,  believing  it  to  be  fitting  that  the  whole  month  which  bears  the 
divine  name  should  be  kept  holy  and  consecrated  to  the  Goddess,  have 
resolved  to  regulate  her  worship  by  this  Decree.  Wherefore  it  is  decreed 
that  the  entire  month  of  Artemision,  and  every  day  thereof,  shall  be  holy, 
and  during  all  this  month  the  populace  shall  celebrate  the  feasts  and 
hymn  the  praises  of  Artemis  and  her  holy  solemnities,  because  the  whole 
mouth  is  consecrated  to  the  Goddess.  Thus,  when  her  worship  is  ordered 
more  beautifully,  shall  our  city  then  gleam  with  a  new  lustre  and  shall 
prosper  forevermore."     Corpus  Inscriptionum  Grœcorurn,  t.  ii.  no.  2954. 

2  A.  Tatius,  vi.  363. 

•  3  These  games  were  called  Ephesia,  Artemisia,  and  (Ecumenica 
*  Thucydides,  iii,  104. 


THIRD  MISSION. -^LEAVING  EPHESUS.  287 

did  not  conceal  from  himself  the  fact  that  on  this  occa- 
sion, known  and  watched  as  he  was,  his  Apostolate  was 
likely  to  encounter  an  opposition  so  much  the  keener 
because  its  success  had  been  of  late  so  brilliant.  "  The 
door  is  thrown  wide  open,"  he  had  written  to  the  Corin- 
thians, "  but  I  shall  meet  many  enemies  therein."  ^ 

The  gathering  storm-clouds  burst  suddenly  over  his 
head,  emanating  from  a  quarter  whence,  perhaps,  the 
Apostle  least  expected  trouble.  Like  all  sanctuaries  of 
renown,  the  Temple  of  Ephesus  did  not  simply  furnish  a 
livelihood  to  the  priests,  the  women  and  slaves  who 
made  it  their  abode,  or  who  fled  to  it  for  refuge  from 
criminal  prosecution.  In  the  town  also  there  was  a 
large  class  who  drew  a  living  from  it,  some  from  hawk- 
ing the  sacrificial  meats,  others  as  venders  of  objects  of 
worship  ;  the  silversmiths  especially,  made  large  profits 
on  statuettes  of  precious  metal,  and  small  models  of  the 
Temple  of  Artemis,  which  travellers  carried  home  with 
them  as  souvenirs  of  that  marvellous  edifice.^  Now,  for 
the  last  two  years  and  more,  the  sale  of  these  images  had 
been  falling  off  ;  was  it  not  only  reasonable  to  attribute 
this  depression  to  Paul's  sermons  ?  "  The  Godhead  is  in 
no  wise  like  unto  gold,  or  silver,  or  stone,  or  any  of  the 
sculptures  which  are  created  by  the  art  and  imagination 
of  man."  And  this  year  the  failure  in  trade  was  so 
noticeable  in  the  silversmiths'  quarter,  that  one  of  the 
most  prominent  of  the  craft,  Demetrius  by  name,  resolved 
to  ward  off  the  common  disaster  by  one  decisive  blow. 
As  a  master  workman  he  was  the  means  of  procuring 
large  orders  for  his  employees,  and  he  now  assembled 
them  together  with  all  their  fellow  craftsmen  of  the 
quarter. 

"  Friends,"  he  began,  "  you  know  that  all  our  earn- 
ings come  from  trade.  Now  you  see  and  hear  it  said, 
'Not  only  at  Ephesus,  but  almost  all  over  Asia,  is  this 

1  1  Cor.  xvi.  9. 

2  One  of  the  popular  features  of  Pagan  devotions  consisted  in  carrying 
these  objects  about  with  them  on  a  journey,  or  enshrining  them  in  their 
homes.  Dio  Cassius,  xxxix.  20;  Diodorus  of  Sicily,  i.  15;  xv.  49;  Diony- 
sius  of  Halicarnassus,  ii.  22  ;  Petronius,  29,  etc. 


288  SAINT  PAUL. 

Paul  turning  away  a  great  number  of  persons  from  fol- 
lowing our  worship,  by  telling  them  that  works  made  by 
men's  hands  are  no  gods.'  The  danger  for  us  is  this, 
that  not  only  our  craft  is  likely  to  fall  into  unpopularity, 
but  that  the  very  Temple  of  Artemis,  the  Great  God- 
dess,^ will  lose  all  honor,  and  thus  her  Majesty,  revered 
over  all  Asia  and  throughout  the  inhabited  earth,  be 
destroyed."  ^ 

The  passion  which  enflamed  Demetrius's  words  com- 
municated itself  straight  to  the  angry  hearts  of  the 
working  people  who  crowded  about  him,  filling  them 
with  heat  and  madness.  In  the  excitement  of  the 
moment,  they  dashed  out  into  the  streets,  shouting, 
"  Long  live  the  Great  Artemis  of  Ephesus  !  " 

The  mob  hurried  onward  to  Paul's  dwelling-place,  hop- 
ing to  seize  him;  but  whether  the  Apostle  was  really 
absent,  or  whether  his  hosts  managed  in  time  to  get  him 
out  of  harm's  reach,^  at  any  rate  their  prey  escaped  them. 
In  default  of  the  Master,  they  had  to  be  content  with 
two  of  his  disciples,  Caïus  and  Aristarchus,*  and,  con- 
tinuing to  fill  the  streets  along  their  way  with  a  great 
uproar,  they  dragged  them  into  the  Theatre. 

In  almost  all  towns  of  the  Eoman  Empire,  the  Thea- 
tre was  the  usual  resort  for  large  public  meetings  ;  ^  but 
this  one  at  Ephesus  seemed  better  adapted  than  any 
other,  for  such  purposes,  as  the  tiers,  cut  in  terraces 
along  the  sides  of  Mount  Coressus,  were  capable  of- 
accommodating  nearly  twenty-five  thousand  spectators.^ 
From  the  upper  town,  lying  along  the  hillside,  from  the 
porches  and  market-places  which  filled  the  space  below 
the  Theatre,  the  crowds  poured  in  ;  in  a  twinkling,  every 

^  The  title  of  "  the  Great  Goddess,"  which  is  thrice  given  to  Artemis 
in  the  Acts  (xix.  27,  28,  35),  was  the  one  generally  given  this  divinity;  it 
occurs  frequently  in  the  inscriptions.  See  Wood's  Inscriptions  from  the 
Great  Theatre,  no.  1,  col.  1,  p.  2  ;  col.  4,  p.  36,  etc. 

2  Acts  xix.  25-27. 

3  Rom.  xvi.  3,  4, 
*  Acts  xix.  29. 

5  Cicero,  Pro  Flacco,  vii.  ;  Cornelius  Nepos,  Timol.  îv.  ;  Tacitus,  His- 
toriœ,  ii.  80  ;  Josephus,  Bell.  Jud.,  vi   iii.  3  ;  Pausanias,  vi.  v.  2. 
®  Wood,  Discoveries  at  Ephesus,  p.  68. 


THIRD  MISSION.  —  LEAVING  EPHESUS.  289 

spot  was  thronged  with  the  surging  mass,  and  the  tumult 
at  its  height.  "  Some  shouted  one  thing,  others  something 
else,  and  the  majority  did  not  know  what  they  were  met 
together  for."  ^ 

Paul,  meanwhile,  was  informed  of  the  danger  threaten- 
ing his  brethen.  At  once  he  started  up  to  rescue  them, 
if  possible,  by  his  words  ;  but  his  disciples  held  him 
back,  believing  that  he  put  too  great  confidence  in  his 
power  over  the  multitude,  and  their  fears  were  at  once 
confirmed  by  a  message  from  certain  Asiarchs,  friends  of 
the  Apostle,  who  besought  the  Apostle  not  to  venture 
into  the  Theatre.^ 

In  fact  the  confusion  there  was  still  as  frantic  as  ever, 
and  cries  of  all  kinds  were  mingling  with  the  silver- 
smiths' execrations  of  the  Christians  and  their  leader. 
Certain  groups  directed  their  clamors  against  the  Jews, 
whom  the  populace  were  prone  to  confound  with  Chris- 
tians. Always  on  the  watch  against  popular  upris- 
ings, and  now  in  a  fright  lest  the  mob  should  turn  on 
them,  the  children  of  Israel  had  likewise  flocked  to  the 
Theatre.  Seeing  the  turn  matters  were  taking,  they 
induced  one  of  their  countrymen,  named  Alexander,^  to 

1  Acts  xix.  32. 

2  The  Asiarch,  according  to  modern  scholars,  was  none  other  than  the 
High  Priest  of  Asia,  as  he  was  also  the  personage  intrusted  with  the 
supervision  of  the  cultus  of  Augustus  throughout  that  Avhole  Province. 
The  superintendence  of  the  games  celebrated  successively  in  the  various 
large  cities  of  the  region  was  the  principal,  as  it  was  the  most  onerous,  of 
his  functions,  for  the  expenses  of  these  ceremonies  devolved  in  a  great 
measure  upon  him;  hence  the  Assembly  for  the  whole  Province,  rh  Koivhv 
TTJs  'Ao-t'as,  which  had  the  right  of  appointing  this  High  Priest,  always 
took  good  care  to  choose  some  opulent  citizen.  There  is  still  some  doubt 
as  to  whether  a  single  Asiarch  or  several  incumbents  together  sustained  the 
office  and  its  charges.  The  latter  hypothesis  is  supported  in  some  meas- 
ure by  the  text  of  the  Acts  (xix.  31),  and  by  this  passage  from  Strabo 
(xiv.  i.  42)  :  Koi  àei  Tives  é^  avrrjs  eîaiv  oi  irpcorçvouTes  Kara  tt]v  eTrapxtoj' 
otis  'Aaiapxas  KaXovaiv.  Taken  as  a  whole,  however,  the  inscriptions 
seem  rather  to  indicate  that  a  single  High  Priest  filled  all  these  functions. 
To  explain  the  expression  nvls  Se  koX  twv  'Ao-mpxwi/  in  the  Acts,  we  need 
but  assume  that  the  Asiarchs,  after  fulfilling  their  term  of  office,  still 
retained  the  name  as  an  honorable  title.  See  Lightfoot's  Apostolic 
Fathers,  vol.  ii.  part  ii.  pp.  987-998. 

3  In  his  Second  Epistle  to  Timothy,  S.  Paul  speaks  of  a  certain 
Alexander,  a  coppersmith,  who  displayed  much  malice  against  him  ;  per- 
chance this  is  the  same  person. 

19 


290  SAINT  PAUL. 

speak  for  them  and  explain  to  the  people  their  mistake. 
This  man,  aided  by  the  violent  efforts  of  his  supporters, 
succeeded  in  pushing  his  way  through  the  crowd,  and 
made  a  gesture  to  signify  his  wish  to  be  heard  by  them  ; 
but  as  he  was  immediately  recognized  as  one  of  the 
Jews,  he  was  merely  greeted  by  redoubled  howls  of  rage. 
For  two  long  hours,  nothing  could  be  heard  in  the 
Theatre  but  the  cry,  "Long  live  the  Great  Artemis  of 
Ephesus  !  " 

Their  weariness  alone  quieted  the  storm  which  shook 
this  frenzied  throng.  The  city  magistrates  were  awaiting 
this  moment  impatiently,  alarmed  on  account  of  their 
own  responsibility,  disturbed  at  seeing  how  long  the  up- 
roar lasted  under  the  ominous  glance  of  the  Proconsul 
himself. 

The  most  considerable  man  of  their  body,  the  Chan- 
cellor 1  of  Ephesus,  presented  himself  before  the  multi- 
tude. Strength  and  breath  were  both  exhausted,  and 
the  people  listened  to  him  perforce. 

"  Ephesians,"  he  cried,  "  who  does  not  know  that  the 
city  of  Ephesus  is  the  custodian  ^  of  the  Great  Artemis, 

1  This  Chancellor,  Tpafxixarivs,  was  the  first  magistrate  iu  the  city,  or 
at  least  one  of  the  most  important  public  functionaries.  The  inscriptions, 
though  giving  no  clear  notion  of  the  nature  of  his  duties,  prove  that  they 
were  both  multifarious  and  weighty.  The  public  archives  and  the  sums 
of  silver  deposited  in  the  treasury  of  the  Temple  of  Artemis  were  under  his 
care.  All  letters  and  official  acts  destined  for  the  city  of  Ephesus  were 
addressed  to  him.  His  name  stands  on  all  decrees,  inscriptions,  and  coins  ; 
indeed,  it  would  seem,  like  that  of  the  Archontes  in  Athens  and  the 
Consuls  of  Rome,  it  was  often  used  to  designate  the  year.  The  term 
of  office  was  for  one  year,  and  during  that  time  this  magistrate  presided  at 
public  meetings,  directed  the  municipal  affairs,  —  in  a  word,  was  the  real 
ruler  of  the  city.  Hence  his  intervention  here  in  the  Theatre  and  the 
influence  exerted  by  him.  See  Boeckh,  Corp.  Inscr.  Grcec,  no.  2953,  and 
Conybeare  and  Howson's  Life  and  Epistles  of  Saint  Paid,  chap.  xvi. 

2  Literally,  the  Neocoros,  'NecoKépos,  from  uaos,  temple,  and  Kopdlv,  to 
«ri^ee/?,  or  cleanse.  In  the  beginning  the  official  designated  by  this  name 
probably  performed  duties  similar  to  those  of  our  sacristans  ;  but  in  the 
period  we  are  speaking  of  the  Neocoros  was  a  noteworthy  personage, 
intrusted  Avith  the  administration  of  the  property  of  the  temple  and  some- 
times ranked  above  the  priests.  Certain  cities  assumed  this  title  as  a  tes- 
timonial to  their  devotion  for  the  local  divinities,  especially  such  as  had 
built  temples  in  honor  of  the  Emperors.  Smyrna  was  Neocoros  of 
Augustus-  An  inscription  discovered  at  Ephesus  by  Mr.  Wood  states 
that  "the  city  of  the  Ephesians  has  been  twice  declared  Neocoros  of  the 


THIRD  MISSION.  — LEAVING  EPHESUS.         291 

and  of  her  statue  fallen  from  the  skies  ?  i  Since  this 
cannot  be  gainsaid,  it  is  fitting  that  you  should  live  in 
peace  and  do  nothing  thoughtlessly  ;  for  these  men  that 
you  have  brought  hither  are  neither  sacrilegious  thieves  ^ 
nor  blasphemers  of  your  Goddess.  As  for  Demetrius  and 
his  fellow  workmen,  what  complaint  have  they  to  bring 
against  any  one  ?  The  courts  are  at  hand,^  and  there 
are  the  Proconsuls  ;  ^  let  them  carry  their  accusations 
before  the  authorities.  And  if  you  have  any  claims  to 
urge  on  other  points,  they  shall  be  decided  in  a  lawful 
assembly  ;  ^  for  we  are   in   danger  of  being  accused  of 

Augusti  according  to  the  decrees  of  the  Senate,  as  she  is  also  Neocoros 
of  Artemis."  Inscriptions  from  the  Great  TAea^/e,  no.  6,  pp.  50-52.  See 
Biichner,  De  Neocoria,  pp.  3  et  seq.,  and  Marquardt's  Romische  Staatsver- 
waltung,  i.  504. 

1  According  to  Pliny's  account,  the  statue  of  Artemis  was  made  of 
grape  vine  (Hist.  Nat.,  xvi.  79).  This  passage  in  the  Acts  would  seem  to 
suggest  that  it  may  have  been  an  aerolite,  rudely  sculptured,  the  lower 
parts  being  wound  about  with  bands  like  the  Egyptian  mummies,  the 
upper  half  covered  with  paps  and  various  attributes  to  signify  her  charac- 
ter of  a  fostering  divinity.     S.  Jerome,  Prœf.  in  Epist.  ad  Ephesios. 

2  The  Jews,  probably  not  without  some  reason,  were  accused  of 
this  crime.     Rom.  ii  22  ,  Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud.,  iv.  viii.  10. 

3  Rome  usually  left  the  local  magistracies  in  the  Provinces  undisturbed, 
and  conceded  to  them  the  right  of  judging  ordinary  cases.  Above  these 
tribunals,  however,  there  was  always  the  Proconsul  as  supreme  judge,  to 
decide  civil  and  criminal  suits.  To  regulate  the  business  brought  before 
him,  he  had  to  journey  over  his  Province,  which  was  divided  for  this  pur- 
pose into  districts,  and  in  each  of  these  he  held  assizes  at  certain  stated 
times  and  places  determined  in  advance  This  is  what  was  called  the 
ConventHS  Juridicus,  or  'Ayôpaiot,  alluded  to  here  in  the  Acts. 

4  The  Proconsuls,  that  is,  the  Proconsul  and  his  councillors.  Accord- 
ing to  some  historians  (Lewin,  Life  and  Epistles  of  St.  Paul,  vol.  i.  pp. 
337,  338,  412  ;  Plumptre,  St.  Paid  in  Asia  Minor,  p.  123,  note),  by  this 
plural  form  we  are  meant  to  understand  the  two  Procurators,  Celer  and 
^lius,  who  in  the  year  54  poisoned  their  Proconsul,  Julius  Silanus,  at 
the  instigation  of  Agrippina.  As  reward  for  their  crime,  the  two  accom- 
plices were  allowed  to  exercise  proconsular  power  in  Asia  until  a  new 
magistrate  should  be  nominated.  This  is  certainly  an  ingenious  hypothe- 
sis, but  unhappily  it  is  devoid  of  foundation,  for  the  fact  of  two  Proconsuls 
administering  the  same  Province  together  is  something  unheard  of  in 
Roman  history,  and  furthermore  Silanus  was  poisoned  in  54,  while  the 
majority  of  chronologists  set  down  the  popular  outbreak  recounted  in  the 
Acts  to  the  year  58. 

5  Though  under  Roman  rule,  Ephesus  had  kept  its  ancient  democratic 
form  of  government,  consisting  of  a  Senate  and  legal  assemblies  of  the 
people  (eV  rfi  èwôfxcf  eKKArjaia,  Acts  xix.  39),  which  were  held  in  the 
Theatre  three  times  a  month  (Wood,  Inscriptions  from  the  Great  Theatre, 
p.  50). 


292  SAINT  PAUL. 

breeding  sedition  on  account  of  what  has  taken  place 
to-day,  since  we  can  allege  no  reason  to  justify  this  tu- 
multuous concourse  of  the  people." 

This  speech,  in  which  flattering  expressions  were 
shrewdly  interspersed  with  hints  of  a  salutary  fear  of 
Eome,  was  enough  to  quiet  the  populace.  The  Chan- 
cellor saw  that  his  mastery  over  the  assembly  was  so 
assured,  that  he  could  now  order  them  to  disperse  ;  he 
did  so,  and  was  obeyed. 

IL  —  Second  Visit  to  Macedonia. 

The  peace  so  speedily  restored  was  but  a  truce,  liable 
to  be  violated  at  the  first  puff  of  a  rebellious  spirit. 
There  was  everything  to  be  feared  from  the  unruly 
populace,  and  from  the  Jews  in  particular,  whom  the 
feeling  that  they  were  compromised  by  Paul's  actions 
made  more  spiteful  than  ever  before.^  Once  more  the 
conviction  was  borne  in  on  the  Apostle's  mind  that  there 
was  no  way  of  preventing  a  persecution  except  by  disap- 
pearing, for  a  time  at  least,  from  the  scene.  Accordingly 
he  convened  his  disciples,  exhorted  them  to  persevere, 
and,  after  a  last  sad  embrace,  took  the  road  leading 
toward  Macedonia. 

Troas  was  his  first  stopping  place  on  the  route.  He 
had  arranged  with  Titus  to  meet  him  at  this  point,  and 
he  was  anxiously  awaiting  the  news  his  disciple  would 
have  to  give  him  concerning  matters  in  Corinth.  The 
disappointment  was  therefore  a  bitter  one  when  he  found 
no  tidings  from  him  on  his  arrival.  Forced  to  wait  for 
his  appearance,  he  went  to  work  preaching  the  Gospel 
in  this  town,  which  he  had  merely  passed  through  on  his 
last  journey.  The  people  proved  well  disposed,  —  "  the 
doors  were  open  to  the  Lord  "  ;  ^  success  came  so  speed- 
ily that  when,  after  a  few  days,  he  took  ship  for  Europe, 
a  whole  congregation  gathered  to  escort  him  to  the  shore. 
That  the  Apostle  showed  such  haste  in  quitting  Troas  is 
to  be  attributed  to  his  absorbing  anxiety  for  the  welfare 

1  Acts.  XX.  19.  2  2  Cor.  ii.  12. 


THIRD  MISSION.  —  MACEDONIA.  293 

of  the  Corinthian  Church.i  j^  what  spirit  had  they  re- 
ceived his  letter,  —  that  masterpiece  of  burning  love,  yet 
"written  amid  grievous  affliction,  in  anguish  of  spirit, 
tears  dimming  his  eyes  "  ?  ^  Must  it  not  have  seemed,  to 
the  supercilious  minds  who  criticised  it,  a  compound  of 
weakness  and  presumption,  and  only  one  more  reason  for 
despising  his  doctrines?  Then  what  had  happened  to 
Titus,  from  whom  no  news  had  come  yet  ?  What  could 
explain  such  a  delay  ?  No  longer  able  to  restrain  him- 
self, Paul  decided  to  precede  him  into  Macedonia. 

Once  there,  his  distress  of  mind  must  have  been  les- 
sened, though  not  quite  dissipated,  by  the  tokens  of 
affection  showered  on  him  by  the  Christians  of  this 
Province,  who  were  always  so  generous  and  faithful. 
On  learning  of  his  presence,  Luke,^  Timothy,  and  Eras- 
tus,^  three  of  his  dearest  disciples,  made  all  haste  to 
join  him;  but,  despite  the  comfort  it  gave  Paul's  sad 
heart,  this  eager  devotion  could  not  ward  off  the  tribula- 
tions which  had  pursued  him  ever  since  he  left  Ephesus. 
"  Once  arrived  in  Macedonia,"  he  says,  "  our  flesh  had  no 
rest,  and  we  were  troubled  on  every  side  ;  without  were 
fightings,  within  were  fears."  ^ 

These  assailants  from  without  were  the  Jewish  and 
Pagan  persecutors  whose  onslaughts  had  reduced  the 
Church  in  these  parts  to  a  state  of  great  distress  f  then 
there  were  also  those  Christians  who  were  the  enemies  of 
the  Cross  of  Christ,  whom  Paul  "could  not  speak  of  without 
tears,  whose  thoughts  were  all  of  earthly  things,  whose 
god  was  their  belly  "  ;  ^  finally,  there  were  the  Judaizers, 
whose  workings  he  detected  throughout  the  Christendom 
of  those  days,  always  vanishing  when  he  appeared,  but 
evermore  undermining  his  work  in  secrecy.     As  to  what 

1  2  Cor.  ii.  13. 

2  2  Cor.  ii.  4. 

3  In  all  likelihood  Luke  remained  at  Philippi  during  the  time  inter- 
vening between  the  Apostle's  leaving  him  there  on  the  occasion  of  his  first 
mission  and  the  present  date.  Not  until  now  do  we  find  any  signs  of  his 
being  with  the  Apostle  once  more. 

*  Acts  xix.  22.  6  2  Cor.  viii.  2. 

6  2  Cor.  vii.  5.  '  Philip,  iii.  18,  19. 


294  SAINT  PAUL. 

he  alluded  to  by  the  fears  from  without,  we  are  not  left 
in  any  doubt  :  in  Macedonia,  as  in  Troas,  it  was  Corinth 
and  its  troubles  that  tormented  his  mind  by  day  and 
night. 

At  last  Titus  arrived  and  relieved  his  anxious  uncer- 
tainty, for  the  tidings  he  brought  were  in  the  main  of  a 
consoling  tenor.  Paul's  letter,  far  from  being  spurned, 
was  still  stirring  their  hearts.  When  read  before  the 
assembled  brethren,  its  effects  were  apparent  in  their 
profound  sadness  ;  ^  doubtless  the  hostile  factions  w^ere 
not  at  once  reconciled,  nor  did  they  cease  their  bicker- 
ings, but  among  the  people  there  had  been  striking 
manifestations  of  sorrow  and  repentance.  Memories  of 
Paul  and  his  devoted  love  for  them  came  up  before  them 
as  they  listened  to  his  words  ;  some,  trembling  with  fear, 
cast  about  for  excuses  whereby  to  escape  the  rod  of 
discipline  with  which  the  Apostle  threatened  them; 
others,  with  deep  regret  for  having  grieved  the  master, 
now  only  longed  to  see  him  again  and  w^in  his  forgive- 
ness.^ Happily  the  majority  of  the  assembly  were  of 
the  latter  mind  ;  they  shared  Paul's  indignation  at  the 
laxity  shown  toward  such  a  crime  as  incest,  and  were  as 
eager  as  he  to  punish  it.  "  In  the  Name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  let  the  guilty  man  be  delivered  over  to  Satan." 
Nevertheless,  the  prompt  repentance  of  the  excommuni- 
cated sinner  prevented  the  sentence  from  being  executed 
in  all  its  severity.  The  head  men  of  the  Church  treated 
him  mercifully,  whether  of  their  own  accord  or  following 
the  advice  of  Titus  we  do  not  know.  ^ 

We  do  know,  however,  that  this  disciple  was  of  a  gen- 
tle and  kindly  disposition  ;  thus,  as  soon  as  he  appeared 
among  the  Corinthians,  this  natural  inclination  invested 
him  with  the  character  of  a  peacemaker,  so  soon  as  he 
set  about  his  task  ;  indeed,  his  sermons  were  all  animated 
by  a  spirit  of  forbearance.  Of  what  use  was  harshness 
and  severity,  since  Paul's  letter  had  sufficed  to  break 
down  all  opposition  ?  Furthermore,  his  own  preferences 
were  warranted  by  the  joy  he  felt  at  finding  such  teach- 

1  2  Cor.  vii.  7.  2  2  Cor.  vii.  7,  11,  15,  »  2  Cor.  ii.  6-10. 


THIRD  MISSION.  —  MACEDONIA.  295 

able,  docile  minds,  their  hearts  full  of  love  for  Paul  and 
all  their  longings  fixed  on  his  return  to  them.^  The 
hardest  trial  to  the  kind-hearted  Titus  was  when  he 
noticed  how  ashamed  the  guilty  were,  and  how  terrible  a 
personage  he  seemed  in  their  eyes.  For  the  first  few 
days,  in  fact,  they  never  approached  him  without  signs  of 
fear  and  agitation.'"^ 

The  story  this  benevolent  friend  had  to  tell  him 
thrilled  Paul's  soul  with  gladness.  Raised  from  the 
depths  of  agonizing  fears  to  such  a  pitch  of  joy,  we  need 
not  wonder  if,  at  tirst,  his  mind,  absorbed  with  the 
thought  of  his  prayers  so  speedily  answered,  should  be  ' 
filled  with  deep  thankfulness  to  God,  and  a  great  longing 
to  congratulate  his  beloved  Corinthians,  now  that  the 
danger  was  past;  he  even  went  so  far  as  to  question 
whether  he  had  not  treated  them  too  harshly .^  But, 
notwithstanding,  the  trouble  with  the  factions  at  Corinth 
was  not  yet  over  ;  after  depicting  for  his  master's  benefit 
the  consoling  state  of  his  faithful  flock,  their  good  inten- 
tions, their  eagerness  to  make  the  collection  for  their 
brethren  at  Jerusalem,  truth  compelled  Titus  to  point 
out  the  dark  spots  in  this  picture.  Thus  he  was  obliged 
to  confess  that  the  enemies  of  the  Apostle  were  as  unruly 
as  ever,  still  bandying  about  the  same  insulting  asser- 
tions, and  only  the  more  embittered  by  his  letter.  In 
this  last  message  (they  asserted)  he  showed  how  hard  and 
masterful  he  was  toward  his  brethren,  and  at  the  same 
time  how  irresolute  "*  and  weak-spirited  when  dealing 
with  opponents.  What  was  the  use  of  his  threatening 
to  appear  armed  with  the  rod  of  discipline  ?  ^  In  point 
of  fact,  the  reason  why  he  was  constantly  changing  his 
plans  was  because  he  dared  not  show  himself  among 
them  ;  and  a  good  reason  it  was,  for  what  authority  could 
he  claim  as  an  Apostle  ?  He  was  neither  recommended 
by  the  Mother  Church,  nor  was  he  commissioned  by 
Jesus,  since  he  had  never  seen  Him  ;  nor  were  his  powers 

1  2  Cor.  vii.  7.  *  2  Cor.  i.  17. 

•^  2  Cor.  vii.  15.  ^  \  Cor.  iv.  21. 

3  2  Cor.  vii.  8. 


296  SAINT  PAUL. 

comparable  to  those  of  Cephas,  who  could  annihilate 
Ananias  and  Sapphira  with  a  word.  All  he  could  do  was 
to  preach  in  his  own  name,i  and  that  from  a  distance, 
for,  they  said,  "while  his  letters  are  rough  and  bois- 
terous, in  appearance  and  speech  he  is  contemptible 
enough."  ^  They  were  not  content  with  terming  him  an 
impostor,  a  fool,  and  a  madman;  even  his  charitable 
desio-ns  for  helping  Jerusalem  were  misconstrued;  they 
were  denounced  as  the  trickery  of  a  swindler,  whose  only 
aim  was  to  dupe  his  friends.  Paul  was  of  too  lofty  a 
soul  not  to  despise  the  personalities  contained  in  these 
outrageous  assertions  ;  but  though  his  own  dignified  at- 
titude was  not  ahected,  nor  even  his  gladness  over- 
clouded, he  clearly  perceived  that  the  good  fame  of  his 
missionary  labors  was  at  stake  :  it  behooved  him  to  give 
to  the  Church,  overwhelmed  by  these  calumnies,  a  reply 
which  would  avenge  his  innocence  and  at  the  same  time 
sustain  his  faithful  followers.  The  Apostle  therefore 
felt  it  his  duty  to  dictate  to  Timothy  a  new  letter, 
which,  while  praising  the  Corinthians  for  their  good 
deeds,  should  be  a  more  powerful  weapon  against  their 
common  foes. 

The  opening  passage  of  this  Epistle  —  one  of  the 
most  moving  that  ever  fell  from  his  lips  —  is  an  out- 
burst of  holy  joy,  an  act  of  thanksgiving  for  the  spirit 
of  unitedness  now  restored  among  them.  This  union  of 
souls  in  Jesus  and  through  Jesus  is  destined  to  bring 
about  the  true  Unity  of  Christianity,  for  Christian  love 
does  not  simply  join  heart  to  heart,  it  makes  them  one. 
Since  one  same  Life  —  that  of  the  Christ  —  animates 
the  souls  of  all  who  attach  themselves  to  Him,  every 
Christian  worthy  of  that  name  feels  in  himself  all  that 
fills  the  Heart  of  Jesus  and  that  of  his  brethren,  —  sharp 
pangs  and  gladness,  anguish  and  comfortable  hopes.^ 

Who  then  dared  assert  that  the  duplicity  and  fickle- 
ness of  the  Apostle  made  it  impossible  for  such  a  state 
of  harmony  to  last  ?  Paul's  very  soul  revolts  at  this 
fresh  aftront,  for  his  conscience  bears  him  witness  that  he 

i2Cor.  iv.  5.  2  2  Cor.  X.  10.  •''  2  Cor.  i.  l-U. 


THIRD  MISSION.  —  EPHESUS.  297 

was  never  other  than  loyal  and  steadfast  in  his  inmost 
feelings.  This  very  firmness  comes  from  his  union  with 
Jesus  ;  now  "  in  Jesus  there  is  no  yea  and  nay  "  ;  in  Him 
is  the  yea,  in  Him  the  Amen'']  and  the  foundation  of  all 
this  lies  in  the  immutability  of  God  Himself,  of  that 
God  "  Who  binds  us  mightily  with  you  in  the  Christ,  — 
of  the  God  Who  hath  joined  us  together  and  sealed  us 
with  His  seal."  ^  "  As  my  soul  must  answer  for  it,  I  call 
God  to  witness  that  it  was  because  I  would  spare  you 
that  I  have  not  yet  returned  to  Corinth,"  in  order  not  to 
come  among  you  with  a  sad  heart  to  chastise  the  erring 
ones.2  The  Apostle  had  been  content  to  write  to  them  ; 
he  had  bidden  the  real  Church  of  Corinth  to  rise  up  out 
of  the  midst  of  its  enemies  and  depart  from  them.  This 
they  had  done  in  such  a  generous  spirit  that  Paul  cannot 
praise  them  enough  ;  he  refrains  from  any  attempts  at 
forcing  them  to  accept  doctrines,  respects  their  indepen- 
dence, even  tries  to  develop  among  them  the  habit  of 
spontaneous  action  :  the  penalty  inflicted  on  the  incest- 
uous man  is  approved  ;  the  compassionate  indulgence 
shown  the  sinner  he  approves  likewise.^  Hereafter,  sub- 
missive to  authority  and  irreproachable  in  conduct,  the 
life  of  the  Corinthian  believers  appears  before  him  as 
another  victory  won  for  Christ  Jesus  :  his  preaching  and 
his  Apostolate,  wrapped  in  this  mystic  fragrance,  seems 
destined  to  float  afar,  bearing  the  sweet  savor  of  Christ 
unto  all  lands.'^ 

"And  who,  then,  is  capable  of  performing  such  a 
ministry  as  this  ?  "  Those  alone  "  who  preach  with  sin- 
cerity for  God's  sake,  as  in  His  Presence,  and  in  the 
Christ."  Let  others,  who  falsify  God's  word,  display 
their  letters  of  recommendation.  You  yourselves,  is  the 
Apostle's  reply,  are  our  letters,  you  of  the  Church  of  Cor- 
inth ;  ay,  and  that  Life  of  Jesus  which  has  penetrated 
and  transformed  you,  thanks  to  our  ministry  in  your 
midst.  These  letters  are  not  writ  with  ink  which  fades, 
nor  graven  on  stone  by  the  finger  of  God,  like  the  tables 

1  2  Cor.  i.  12-22.  3  2  Cor.  ii.  6-11. 

2  2  Cor.  i.  23  :  ii.  1-4.  ^  2  Cor.  ii.  14-16. 


298  SAINT  PAUL. 

of  the  Mosaic  Law  ;  they  are  written  on  tables  of  flesh, 
within  your  heart  of  hearts.-^  Very  different  from  those 
impostors  who  are  clinging  to  an  old  and  worn  out  cove- 
nant, we  have  been  made  by  God  "  ministers  of  the  New 
Covenant,  ministers  not  of  the  letter  but  of  the  spirit, 
for  the  letter  kills,  the  spirit  vivifies."  ^ 

Not  that  the  old  Law  was  devoid  of  its  own  glory; 
for,  as  Moses  bore  it  down  the  side  of  Mount  Sinai,  so 
awful  was  the  brightness  of  his  countenance  that  the 
Israelites  could  not  gaze  on  him  for  the  splendor:  yet 
it  was  but  a  passing  brilliancy,  after  all,^  for  did  he  not 
veil  his  face  so  soon  as  the  glory  vanished  from  it,  for 
fear  lest  the  Israelites,  noting  its  disappearance,  might 
conclude  that  the  same  fate  would  befall  their  Law.^  As 
for  us,  who  proclaim  the  New  Law,  the  brightness  of  our 
ministry  is  never  to  suffer  an  eclipse  ;  daily  do  we  walk 
before  you  with  an  open  countenance,  frankly,  and  with 
naught  to  conceal.  "We  do  not  preach  ourselves,  we 
preach   Christ  Jesus,   as   Lord,   and   ourselves  as   your 

1  2  Cor.  ii.  17;  iii.  1-3. 

2  2  Cor.  iii.  6. 

*  The  Septuagint,  which  S.  Paul  follows  here,  gives  the  most  natural 
interpretation  of  the  Hebrew  text.  Moses  did  not  veil  his  countenance 
either  when  appearing  in  God's  presence  or  when  speaking  to  the  people; 
it  was  only  when  he  ceased  addressing  the  multitude  that  he  drew  over  his 
face  a  veil  similar  to  the  couffieh  now  worn  by  the  Bedouins  ;  this  he  did  lest 
the  children  of  Israel  should  behold  the  fading  away  of  that  glory  whose 
splendor  was  but  a  passing  reflection  of  the  Eternal  Brightness.  "  'Prop- 
ter gloriam  .  .  .  quae  evacuatur,'  Quse  evacuatur,  quidam  ex  Latinis 
ad  ministrationem,  alii  ad  legem  retulerunt  ;  sed  ex  Grgeco  manifestum 
est  non  alio  quam  ad  gloriam  referri  posse,  quae  dicitur  evacuari,  seu  po- 
tius  aboleri,  quia  claritas  ilia  vultus  Moysi  transitoria  erat  ac  modici  tem- 
poris."     Estius,  In  II  Ep.  ad  Cor.,  iii.  9" 

^  The  versatility  of  S.  Paul's  style,  whereby  he  could  manage  to  make 
the  same  figure  bear  quite  different  meanings,  is  nowhere  better  exempli- 
fied than  here.  In  that  same  veil  wherewith  Moses  covered  his  counte- 
nance, the  Jews  (he  says)  have  enveloped  their  hearts  when  they  read  the 
Old  Testament  ;  hence  they  do  not  perceive  that  it  is  the  very  glory  of  their 
Law  to  be  swallowed  up  and  consummated  in  the  Christ.  In  the  succeed- 
ing phrase  Moses  is  depicted  as  throwing  off  the  veil  from  his  brow  when 
once  more  he  enters  face  to  face  in  communion  with  God  :  so  shall  it  be- 
fall the  Jews  (concludes  the  Apostle),  when  they  shall  turn  unto  the  Lord  ; 
that  Spirit  of  Life,  which  is  hidden  beneath  the  dead  letter  of  the  Law, 
shall  enlighten  them  ;  the  glory  of  Christ  Jesus,  which  transforms  those 
that  contemplate  it,  shall  permeate  and  clothe  them  in  its  effulgent  bright- 
ness (2  Cor.  13-18). 


THIRD   MISSION— MACEDONIA.  299 

slaves,  for  the  love  of  Jesus.  For  God,  Who  bade  the 
light  shine  out  from  amidst  the  darkness,  has  caused 
His  brightness  to  shine  in  our  hearts,  that  so  we  might 
enlighten  others  by  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God 
which  has  appeared  in  Christ."  ^ 

Carried  away  by  Paul's  lofty  flights,  hearing  him  pro- 
claim himself  an  Ambassador  of  Christ,  a  fellow  worker 
with  God  Who  speaks  by  the  mouth  of  His  Apostle,^ 
would  not  the  Corinthians  be  led  to  lose  sight  of  the  fact 
that,  even  while  encircled  by  this  halo  of  his  Apostolats, 
the  man  remained  just  what  he  appeared  to  them  when 
among  them,  a  human  being  of  a  mean  and  contemptible 
appearance  ?  The  Apostle's  characteristic  sincerity  causes 
him  to  dwell  at  length  upon  this  point.  "  We  bear  about 
this  treasure  in  an  earthly  vessel,"  he  adds,  "  that  so  it 
may  be  manifest  that  the  greatness  of  the  power  which 
is  in  us  comes  from  God,  and  not  from  ourselves."  ^  We 
keep  our  ministry  free  from  anything  blameworthy  or 
questionable;^  but  we  must  needs  perform  it  amid  "  tribu- 
lations, necessities,  in  distress  and  in  stripes,  as  prisoners, 
amid  sedition,  in  labors,  watchings,  fasts,  .  .  .  through 
honor  and  ignominy,  through  good  report  and  evil;  as 
unknown,  although  well  known  ;  as  dying,  and  lo  !  we 
live  ;  as  chastised,  but  not  unto  death  ;  as  sorrowful,  yet 
ever  joyous  ;  as  poor,  though  enriching  many  ;  as  hav- 
ing  nothing,  yet  possessing  all  things."^      Yes,  and  so 

1  2  Cor.  iv.  5,  6.  ^2  Cor.  v.  20  ;  vi.  1. 

3  2  Cor.  iv.  7. 

4  2  Cor.  iv.  2,  5  ;  vi.  3. 

5  2  Cor.  vi.  4-10.  Twice  in  this  Epistle  does  he  draw  this  same  pic- 
ture :  "  We  are  in  all  manner  of  tribulations,  but  not  reduced  to  ex- 
tremities ;  in  insurmountable  difficulties,  yet  we  do  not  succumb  ;  we  are 
persecuted,  but  not  forsaken  ;  struck  down,  yet  not  perishing  ;  bearing 
about  always  in  our  body  the  death  of  Jesus,  that  the  life  of  Jesus  may 
appear  likewise  in  our  body.  .  .  .  Thus  His  death  is  working  its  effects  in 
us.  His  life  in  you.  ...  He  Who  has  raised  up  Jesus  shall  raise  us  up 
with  Jesus,  and  shall  bring  us  into  His  presence  together  with  you  ;  for  all 
things  are  for  you.  .  .  .  This  then  is  why  our  courage  faints  not  ;  though 
in  us  the  outward  man  decays,  nevertheless  the  inward  man  is  renewed 
from  day  to  day  ;  for  our  light  tribulations  of  the  moment  bring  forth 
within  us,  in  overflowing  measure,  a  weight  of  glory  eternal,  for  our  eyes 
are  not  fixed  on  things  seen,  but  on  the  unseen,  since  things  seen  are  pass- 
ing away,  but  the  things  unseen  endure  forever."     2  Cor.  iv.  8-18. 


300  SAINT  PAUL. 

it  shall  ever  be  until  the  day  when  God  releases  us  from 
the  body,  which  is  our  earthly  house,  and  "  that  which  is 
mortal  in  us  shall  be  swallowed  up  by  life;'  ^ 

*'  O  Corinthians,''  proceeds  the  Apostle,  ''  my  lips  open 
and  my  heart  swells  with  the  love  I  bear  you  ;  the  bowels 
of  compassion  in  me  are  not  straightened,  but  in  you  they 
are.  Give  me  back  love  for  love.  I  am  speaking  to  you  as  a 
father  to  his  children,  —  open  your  hearts  to  me  !  Do  not 
put  yourselves  under  the  same  yoke  with  unbelievers,  for 
what  union  can  there  be  betwixt  justice  and  iniquity  ? 
What  commerce  between  light  and  darkness  ?  What  con- 
cord has  Christ  with  Belial  ?  .  .  .  What  relation  has  God's 
temple  to  that  of  idols  ?  Now,  you  are  the  temple  of  the 
living  God,  even  as  God  Himself  has  said,  '  I  will  dwell  in 
their  midst,  and  I  will  walk  with  them,  and  will  be  their 
God,  and  they  shall  be  My  people.'  ^  .  .  .  Having  therefore 
these  promises,  well  beloved,  let  us  cleanse  ourselves  from 
every  stain,  whether  of  the  flesh  or  of  the  spirit,  finishing 
the  work  of  our  holiness  in  the  fear  of  God.  Receive  us  ; 
we  have  wronged  no  man,  we  have  ruined  no  man,  nor  have 
we  enriched  ourselves  at  the  expense  of  any  man.  I  say 
not  this  to  condemn  you  ;  for  I  have  told  you  already  you 
are  in  my  heart  for  death  and  for  life.  But  I  speak  to 
you  in  all  frankness.  I  myself  glory  in  you  ;  I  am  filled 
with  consolation  ;  joy  abounds  in  the  midst  of  all  my  afflic- 
tions.^ .  .  .  This  is  my  joy,  that  you  give  me  grounds  for 
hoping  all  things  from  you."  ^ 

Even  while  dictating  his  second  reply  to  the  Corin- 
thians, the  Apostle  was  considering  the  best  means  of 
getting  it  to  them.  Titus's  successful  conduct  of  his  first 
mission  naturally  made  him  the  fittest  person,  in  Paul's 
eyes,  to  act  as  his  messenger  to  the  Church.  And  Titus 
gladly  consented  to  carry  the  letter  we  have  been  reading, 
for  at  heart  he  was  deeply  attached  to  Corinth  and  its 
people,  whom  one  could  not  help  loving  even  when  they 
wandered  from  the  right  path,  they  were  ever  so  quick 
to  repent,  so  fearful  of  lacking  in  respect,  so  submissive 

1  2  Cor.  V.  1-4.  3  2  Cor.  vi.  11-18  ;  vii.  1-4. 

2  Lev.  xxvi.  11, 12.  *  2  Cor.  vii.  16. 


THIRD  MISSION.— MACEDONIA.  301 

under  reproof  ;  however  much  Paul  had  said  to  him  in 
their  praise,  it  had  all  been  justified  by  the  event/  and 
absence  had  but  heightened  an  affection  which  was  so 
firmly  rooted  in  their  hearts.^ 

But  over  and  above  the  attraction  which  Corinth  exer- 
cised over  him,  there  was  an  additional  motive  prompt- 
ing him  to  accede  to  the  Apostle's  urgent  entreaties  : 
this  was  his  own  anxiety  to  help  along  the  collection  for 
Jerusalem.  On  his  arrrival  in  Macedonia,  Titus  discov- 
ered that  here  the  efforts  to  push  forward  this  pious  con- 
tribution had  been  crowned  with  greater  success  than  in 
Achaia.  Despite  the  persecutions  which  had  impover- 
ished the  greater  number  of  believers  in  these  parts,  the 
churches  of  Macedonia  had  drawn,  from  out  the  depths 
of  their  poverty,  rich  treasures  of  liberality.^  They  did 
not  wait  for  Paul  to  ask  their  alms  ;  of  their  own  accord, 
his  flock  had  come  to  him,  bringing  "whatever  they  could, 
nay,  more  than  they  could  spare  "  ;  and,  as  the  Apostle 
hesitated  about  accepting  such  generous  gifts,  "they 
pressed  him  most  earnestly  not  to  refuse  their  offerings, 
declaring  that  they  were  willing  to  undertake  the  care  of 
the  collection  themselves,  and  carry  it  to  the  saints  of 
Jerusalem."^  Humiliated  at  the  thought  of  how  little 
the  Corinthians  had  done  in  comparison  with  such  liberal 
donations,  Titus  was  eager  to  return  and  complete  his 
work.  The  master,  on  the  other  hand,  was  too  interested 
in  this  matter  not  to  encourage  the  zeal  of  his  disciple  ; 
but,  anxious  even  to  scrupulosity  to  forestall  the  slight- 
est suspicion  of  self-seeking,  he  appointed  two  witnesses  of 
Titus's  management  of  the  trust,  who  should  answer  for 
its  strict  fulfilment  before  the  whole  Church.^ 

The  names  of  these  men  are  not  given  in  the  Sacred 
Ptecord  ;  all  that  we  know  is  that  one  of  them  was  of  the 
number  of  delegates  chosen  by  Macedonia  to  accom- 
pany the  Apostle  to  Jerusalem  and  carry  their  offerings 

1  2  Cor.  vii.  13-14.  *  2  Cor.  viii.  3-5. 

2  2  Cor.  vii.  15;  viii.  17.  ^  2  Cor.  viii.  16-24. 
8  2  Cor.  viii.  1,2. 


302  SAINT  PAUL. 

thither.i  His  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  adds  Paul,  had 
already  made  him  celebrated  throughout  all  the  Churches 
of  this  region.  The  last  expression  is  sufficient  to  make 
us  think  of  Luke,^  and  it  is  not  an  unlikely  guess,  for 
the  great  abilities  displayed  by  this  disciple  in  setting 
forth  the  deeds  and  words  of  Jesus  marked  him  out, 
only  a  little  later,  as  the  proper  person  to  be  intrusted 
with  the  compilation  of  the  Third  Gospel,^  and  it  was 
by  his  labors  in  Macedonia,  where  Paul  had  left  him  for 
a  while,^  that  he  acquired  this  supreme  skill  and  its 
attendant  renown. 

The  other  brother  appointed  as  an  associate  of  Titus 
had  probably  accompanied  him  on  the  occasion  of  his  for- 
mer visit  to  Corinth  ;  in  fact,  Paul  repeats  on  his  behalf 
what  he  had  just  now  said  of  Titus  :  "  At  present  he  is 
much  more  zealous  [than  during  the  preceding  journey], 
because  of  the  great  confidence  he  puts  in  you."  ^  One 
very  likely  hypothesis  identifies  this  disciple  with  one  of 
the  Asiatics  whom  the  Christians  of  Asia  Minor  selected 

1  It  cannot  be  supposed  that  the  many  Churches  founded  by  the 
Apostle  in  Syria,  Asia  Minor,  and  Greece  acted  together  in  naming  the 
delegate  here  spoken  of.  Consef^uently,  we  must  restrict  the  meaning  of 
this  plural  "the  Churches  "  (2  Cor.  viii.  19)  as  referring  to  the  Christians 
of  some  certain  region;  probably  Macedonia,  where  Paul  chanced  to  be 
at  this  juncture. 

2  This  is  the  opinion  of  very  many  commentators,  —  Origen,  SS.  Jerome, 
Ambrose,  Anselm,  etc. 

3  According  to  the  most  probable  opinion,  the  Third  Gospel  was  not 
composed  until  that  period  of  four  years  which  S.  Luke  passed  in  S.  Paul's 
society,  during  the  latter's  imprisonment  at  Csesarea  and  Rome.  Hence 
the  Apostle  is  not  alluding  to  this  document  when  he  speaks  of  hi?  dis- 
ciple as  "  having  become  celebrated  through  the  Gospel."  By  this  he 
merely  means  his  readers  to  understand  the  oral  narration  of  the  words 
and  deeds  of  the  Saviour,  —  that  spoken  Gospel  which  was  everywhere 
preached  to  believers. 

4  Luke,  whom  Paul  had  left  at  Philippi  on  the  occasion  of  his  first  visit 
(see  Chapter  V.,  p.  123)  had  probably  remained  in  Macedonia,  instructing 
and  evangelizing  the  Churches  of  that  region.  We  do  not  find  any  trace 
of  his  being  again  in  the  Apostle's  company  until  the  time  we  are  now 
concerned  with  (Acts  xx.  5).  It  is  more  than  likely  that  Luke,  after  ac- 
companying Titus  to  Corinth,  returned  to  Macedonia  without  awaiting 
Paul's  arrival  in  Achaia,  for  his  narrative  in  the  Acts  contains  none  of 
the  details  connected  with  the  Apostle's  second  stay  in  Corinth,  while 
from  the  time  of  his  departure  from  Philippi  f^i  Paul's  compa.ny  his  ac- 
count abounds  in  such  details 

5  2  Cor.  viii.  22. 


THIRD  MISSION.  — MACEDONIA.  303 

to   accompany  the    Apostle,  —  either  Tychicus    or   Tro- 
phimus.^ 

Paul  was  not  satisfied  with  merely  commending  his 
envoys  to  the  good  offices  of  the  Corinthians,  —  Titus,  as 
"  his  associate  and  fellower  laborer,"  the  two  others  as 
"delegates  of  the  Churches  and  the  glory  of  Christ,"  ^  — 
but  at  the  close  of  his  letter  he  explains  the  mission  thus 
intrusted  to  them:  — 

^'  So  far  as  concerns  the  assistance  given  to  the  saints 
[at  Jerusalem],  it  seems  superfluous  for  one  to  write  you, 
for  I  know  your  good  will  in  this  matter,  and  make  my 
boast  of  it  to  the  Macedonians,  telling  them  that  Achaia 
has  been  ready  ever  since  last  year.  Your  example  has 
roused  a  like  zeal  among  many  here.  This,  then,  is  why  I 
am  sending  our  brethren  to  you,  that  my  praises  of  you  on 
this  point  may  not  be  proved  an  empty  boast,  and  that  I 
may  find  you  fully  prepared,  as  I  have  assured  them  you 
would  be.  For  should  the  Macedonians,  who  will  be  with 
me,  find  you  not  yet  ready,  what  a  shame  it  would  be  to  me, 
(and,  let  me  say  so,  to  you  as  well,)  that  we  had  thus 
prided  ourselves  on  your  behalf  !  Therefore  I  deemed  it 
needful  to  desire  our  brethren  to  visit  you  before  our  com- 
ing, in  order  that  the  bounty  which  you  promised  us  be 
ready  ere  we  arrive.  Howbeit,  let  this  be  a  gift  freely 
offered  of  your  charity,  and  not  one  wrung  from  avarice."  ^ 

To  this  attempt  at  exciting  a  spirit  of  generous  rivalry 
in  giving  among  the  Churches  the  Apostle  limits  his 
charitable  exhortations  ;  his  characteristic  dislike  to 
discuss  money  matters,  and  the  apprehension  lest  his 
serviceableness  to  the  cause  be  thereby  impaired,  are 
strikingly  apparent  throughout  his  appeal  for  the  suffer- 
ing of  Jerusalem.  He  utters  no  precept,  decrees  no  law, 
on  this  subject;  he  merely  counsels  the  faithful  to  be 
open-handed  in  almsgiving,  yet  always  keeping  within 

1  Acts  XX.  4. 

2  2  Cor.  viii.  23.  One  of  these  delegates,  as  it  would  seem,  was  the 
one  elected  by  the  Churches  of  Macedonia  ;  the  other,  by  the  Churches  of 
Asia.  Paul  could  not  have  provided  Titus  with  a  company  better  au- 
thorized to  represent  their  countries  ;  hence  he  calls  them  "  the  glory  of 
Christ." 

3  2  Cor.  ix.  1-5. 


304  SAINT  PAUL. 

the  bounds  of  prudence  ;  ^  "  for  I  do  not  want,"  he  èays, 
"  others  to  be  eased  and  you  over-burdened  ;  but  in  order 
to  do  away  with  inequality,  and  that  now  your  abun- 
dance should  make  up  for  their  poverty,  so  that  your 
poverty  may  one  day  be  relieved  by  their  abundance."  ^ 
The  fruits  of  a  charity  so  ordered  will  be  seen  in  tem- 
poral prosperity,  since  God  measures  out  the  harvest 
plenty  according  to  the  generosity  of  the  sower  ;2  but 
above  all  things  he  wishes  to  see  equality  preserved  or  re- 
established among  the  brethren,^  whence  will  spring  that 
longed  for  union  of  hearts,  born  of  mutual  gratitude  :  — 

"  This  offering  will  not  only  result  in  relieving  the  needs 
of  the  saints,  it  will  also  multiply  their  thanksgivings  unto 
God,  for,  receiving  these  proofs  of  your  liberality,  they  will 
glorify  Him  because  of  your  submission  to  the  Gospel  of 
Christ,  and  for  the  liberality  wherewith  you  give  unto  them 
and  unto  all  in  need  ;  they  will  pray  for  you,  with  a  warmer 
love  toward  you  because  of  the  grace  God  has  lavished  on 
you.     Thanks  be  to  God  for  His  unspeakable  gift  !  "  ^ 

This  was  meant  to  be  the  ending,  probably,  according 
to  the  Apostle's  first  plan,  of  his  second  letter  to  the 
Corinthians  ;  but,  before  Titus  departed  with  it,  certain 
tidings  of  a  less  encouraging  nature  arrived  from  Corinth. 
The  Judaizing  Christians  were  resorting  to  every  scheme, 
—  boasting  of  their  letters  of  recommendation,  their  per- 
sonal knowledge  of  Christ  and  the  great  Apostles,  —  and 
seemed  likely  to  succeed  again  in  their  efforts  to  intimi- 
date the  faithful  disciples.  Eealizing  their  own  power  to 
overawe  the  simple,  and  seeing  that  none  dared  defend 
Paul  before  them,^  they  lost  no  time  in  using  this  advan- 
tage over  the  champion  of  freedom,  and  had  reduced  the 
Church  to  a  veritable  state  of  slavery,  devouring  and  pil- 
laging the  brethren,  often,  at  the  least  show  of  resistance, 
smiting  them  in  the  face.'^  Paul  could  not  listen  to  this 
tale  of  tyranny  on  the  one  hand  and  weak-spiritedness 

1  2  Cor.  viii.  10.  6  2   Cor.  ix.  12-15. 

2  2  Cor.  viii.  12-14.  6  2  Cor.  xii.  11. 

3  2  Cor.  ix.  6-11.  12  Cor.  xi.  20. 

4  2  Cor.  ix.  14. 


THIRD  MISSION. -MACEDONIA.  305 

on  the  other,  without  deep  indignation  ;  he  summoned 
Timothy  and  added  a  few  pages  to  his  letter/  in  which 
his  tone  alters.  He  reprimands  them  sharply,  threat- 
ening "  to  use  the  weapons,  so  mighty  in  the  strength 
of  God,  AVho  gave  them  to  him  that  he  might  overthrow 
every  stronghold,  and  level  to  the  earth  all  that  raise 
themselves  in  pride  against  the  knowledge  which  is  of 
God,  and  bring  all  rebellious  thoughts  into  subjection  to 
Christ.'-'  2 

His  adversaries  were  free  to  attack  and  carry  every 
proud  fortress,  let  them  boast  of  their  victories,  and  con- 
tinue to  deck  themselves  in  the  spoils  of  other  men  ; 
for  his  part,  he  stands  at  his  appointed  post,  within  the 
limits  which  God  has  assigned  him,  for  the  field  is  vast 
enough,  surely,  since  it  reaches  as  far  as  Achaia,  while 
far  beyond  toward  the  setting  sun  another  quarter  of  the 
earth  remains  for  him  to  evangelize.^  Corinth,  lying  in 
the  territory  marked  out  for  his  Apostolate,  is,  indeed, 
one  of  his  greatest  conquests,  and  he  is  ready  to  defend 
her  against  all  seducers,  for  "  he  has  loved  her  jealously, 
with  a  jealousy  divine  ;  he  has  betrothed  her  to  one  only 
husband,  even  Christ,  to  Whom  he  will  offer  her  in  all  her 
virgin  purity  of  soul."  ^ 

And  what  reason  could  they  allege  for  forsaking  Paul  ? 
In  what  was  he  inferior  to  the  great  Apostles  ? 

"What  if  my  speech  is  that  of  an  unskilful  man,  my 
knowledge  is  not;  in  all  things  we  are  sufficiently  known 
among  you.  Have  I  committed  any  sin  by  preaching  the 
Gospel  to  you  without  charge,  thereby  abasing  myself  that 
you  might  be  exalted  ?  I  have  despoiled  other  Churches  by 
accepting  from  them  the  assistance  whereof  I  had  need  in 
your  service.  When  I  was  in  your  midst  and  in  want  I  was 
not  a  burden  to  any  one  ;  the  brethren  who  came  from  Mace- 
donia provided  what  I  lacked.  I  was  careful  not  to  be  a  bur- 
den to  you  in  any  way  whatsoever,  and  I  shall  so  continue  to 
act  in  the  future.    By  the  truth  of  Christ  which  is  in  me,  I 

1  This  second  part  of  the  letter  begins  with  chapter  x. 

2  2  Cor.  X.  3-5. 

«  2  Cor.  X.  12-16.  4  2  Cor.  xi.  2. 

20 


306  SAINT  PAUL. 

do  protest  that  this  glory  be  not  taken  from  me  in  the  region 
of  Achaia.  And  why  ?  Is  all  this  because  I  do  not  love 
you  ?  Ah  !  God  knows  my  love  !  What  I  do  I  will  con- 
tinue to  do  that  I  may  cut  away  all  grounds  for  self-glorifi- 
cation, from  such  as  seek  to  appear  in  all  things  like  unto 
me,  in  order  to  glorify  themselves.  Such  men  as  these  are 
false  apostles,  deceitful  workmen,  who  put  on  the  out- 
ward guise  of  Christ's  Apostles,  nor  need  you  wonder 
thereat,  since  even  Satan  transforms  himself  into  an  angel 
of  light?"! 

The  only  way  to  have  done  with  these  impostors  was 
for  Paul  to  put  aside  all  humility  for  the  moment,  and 
compare  his  life  with  theirs.  They  would  treat  him  as  a 
madman  :  insisting  upon  the  insult  and  accepting  it,  he 
turns  it,  by  his  irony,  into  a  weapon  against  his  insidious 
foes. 

"  I  have  said  once,  and  I  repeat  it,  I  am  not  a  fool  ;  but 
if  you  hold  me  as  such,  let  me  now  play  the  fool  and  boast 
a  little  of  myself.  .  .  .  There  are  many  such  men  who 
vaunt  themselves  in  the  flesh  ;  like  them,  I  will  vaunt  my- 
self. All  that  they  dare  (here  I  am  speaking  as  a  fool),  I 
dare  also.  They  are  Hebrews,  I  also  am  one.  They  are 
Israelites,  I  too.  They  are  ministers  of  the  Christ  (here  I 
am  speaking  as  a  man  bereft  of  reason),  such,  far  more 
than  they,  am  I.  More  than  they  have  1  endured  labors  ; 
oftener  suffered  imprisonment  ;  received  more  blows  ;  often- 
er  have  I  seen  death  close  to  me.  Five  times  I  received  from 
the  Jews  the  thirty-nine  blows  of  the  lash  ;  ^  thrice  have  I 
been  beaten  with  the  rods  ;  thrice  was  I  shipwrecked  ;  a 
night  and  a  day  have  I  spent  in  the  open  sea.^  In  journey- 
ings  often,  in  perils  on  the  rivers,  in  perils  from  robbers,  in 
perils  from  my  countrymen,  in  perils  from  Gentiles,  in  perils 
in  the  cities,  in  perils  in  the  wilderness,  in  perils  on  the 
sea,  in  perils  among  false  brethren,  toils,  weariness,  often 
in  sleepless  watchings,  in  hunger  and  thirst,  fasting  often, 
cold,   naked,  —  all   this   have   I   endured.      Besides   these 

1  2  Cor.  xi.  6-14. 

2  For  further  details  concerning  the  whippings  inflicted  by  the  Syna- 
gogue, see  Smnt  Peter  and  (he  First  Years  of  Christianity,  Chapter  II. 

2  'Ej/  Tûà  ^vQtf  :  not  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  but  on  the  great  deep, 
drifting  on  some  spar  or  piece  of  wreck. 


THIRD  MISSION. -MACEDONIA.  307 

evils  from  without,  shall  I  rehearse  my  daily  anxieties,  the 
care  of  all  the  Churches  ?  Who  is  weak,  but  I  share  his 
weakness  ?  Who  is  scandalized,  but  I  burn  with  indigna- 
tion ?  .  .  .  Must  I  still  boast  ?  surely  it  avails  but  little  !  I 
will  pass  on  to  the  Visions  and  Kevelations  of  the  Lord.  I 
know  a  man  in  the  Christ,^  who  was  caught  up  into  Paradise, 
and  heard  there  unspeakable  things,  which  it  is  not  lawful 
for  man  to  utter.^  I  might  well  boast  of  such  a  man,  how- 
beit  I  will  not  boast  save  of  my  weaknesses.  ...  So  then, 
lest  the  greatness  of  my  Kevelations  should  fill  me  with 
pride,  there  was  given  me  a  thorn  in  the  flesh,  an  angel  of 
Satan  who  buffets  me.^  Thrice  I  besought  the  Lord  to 
remove  it  from  me,  but  He  has  ever  answered,  '  My  grace 
is  sufficient  for  thee,  for  My  strength  is  manifested  more 
mightily  in  thy  weakness.'  Therefore  it  is  that  I  rejoice 
in  the  infirmities,  the  outrages,  the  necessities,  persecu- 
tions, and  distresses  I  suffer  for  Christ's  sake  ;  for  when  I 
am  weak,  then  am  I  strong.^ 

"  I  have  been  playing  the  fool,  —  you  forced  me  to  it. 
For  it  was  your  part  to  say  these  things  in  my  favor.  I 
am  nothing,  and  nevertheless  I  came  not  a  whit  behind 
the  most  eminent  of  the  Apostles.  All  the  marks  of  the 
Apostleship  I  have  worked  in  your  midst,  without  ever 
wearying,  —  miracles,  wonders,  all  extraordinary  manifesta- 
tions of  the  divine  Power.  Wherein  were  you  yourselves 
inferior  to  the  other  Churches,  unless  it  be  in  this  that  I 
was  unwilling  to  burden  you  with  my  maintenance  ?  For- 
give me  this  wrong  !  See,  now,  for  the  third  time  I  am 
preparing  to  visit  you,^  and  once  more  it  shall  be  without 

1  "A  man  in  the  Christ,"  —  that  is  to  say,  a  man  who  lives  supernatu- 
rally  in  the  life  of  Christ,  so  far  as  to  be  lost  and  absorbed  in  Him  ;  evi- 
dently by  this  man  the  Apostle  means  himself. 

'^  We  know  nothing  further  concerning  these  Visions  which  S.  Paul 
alludes  to  here. 

3  According  to  S.  Thomas's  interpretation,  which  I  have  adopted  {Saint 
Peter,  Chap.  VII.),  by  this  Angel  of  Satan  the  Apostle  means  us  to  under- 
stand the  bodily  sufferings  and  evil  concupiscence  which  tormented  him. 

*  2  Cor.  xi.  16;  xii.  10. 

5  At  the  outset,  and  before  sending  his  first  letter  to  the  Corinthians, 
he  must  have  announced  this  intention,  since  now  he  answers  those  who 
accused  him  of  not  daring  to  return  thither,  "  Certain  men  are  puffed  up 
with  highmindedness,  as  if  I  would  not  go  to  you.  I  shall  go  to  see  you 
nevertheless  in  a  short  time,  the  Lord  willing."  (1  Cor.  iv.  18,  19.)  The 
last  words  indicate  that  he  was  preparing  a  second  time  to  make  the 
voyage  when  the  news  received  from  Corinth  again  prevented  him  from 


308  SAINT  PAUL. 

burdening  you  with  any  charge.  It  is  you  I  seek,  and  not 
your  goods  ;  for  it  is  not  for  children  to  lay  up  wealth  for 
their  parents,  but  parents  for  children.  As  for  me,  will- 
ingly would  I  give  all  I  have,  —  ay,  more,  I  would  even  give 
myself,  —  for  your  souls,  though  I  love  you  more  than  you 
love  me."  ^ 

"  Be  it  so,  some  one  will  say  :  I  have  not  been  a  burden  to 
you  ;  rather,  like  the  cunning  knave  I  am,  I  set  my  traps  to 
beguile  you.  How  so  ?  Did  I  enrich  myself  at  your  expense 
by  means  of  some  one  of  those  whom  I  sent  to  you  ?  I 
begged  Titus  to  visit  you,  and  with  him  I  sent  one  of  the 
brethren.  Did  Titus  defraud  you  in  any  way?  Have  not 
both  of  us  acted  in  the  same  spirit,  walked  in  the  same 
footsteps  ? 

"  Do  you  imagine  that  here  again  we  are  trying  to  justify 
our  conduct  before  you?  We  speak  before  God,  in  the 
Christ,  and  all  that  we  say  to  you  is  for  3^our  edification. 
My  only  fear  is,  lest,  on  my  arrival,  I  should  find  you  not 
such  as  I  could  wish,  and  that  you  also  should  find  me  in 
consequence  other  than  you  desire.  I  fear  to  find  among 
you  quarrellings,  jealousies,  passions,  intrigues,  slanderings, 
backbitings,  vauntings,  sedition.  I  fear  lest  on  my  arrival 
God  will  humble  me  on  your  account,  and  I  shall  have  to 
mourn  over  many  such  as  have  sinned  and  have  not  done 
penance  for  their  uncleannesses,  their  fornications,  and  their 

executing  his  project.  Thus,  then,  when  in  Macedonia  he  wrote  his 
second  letter  to  the  Corinthians,  apprising  them  of  his  visit,  it  was  accord- 
ingly "for  the  third  time"  that  he  Avas  making  preparations  to  visit  them. 
Certain  commentators  translate  the  passage  in  question  tlius  :  *'  Lo  !  for 
the  third  time  I  am  coming  to  you,"  and  suppose  that  the  Apostle  went  to 
Corinth  on  three  occasions,  —  the  first  time  in  53,  the  second  time  during 
his  stay  at  Ephesus,  the  third  time  in  58.  This  second  voyage,  of  which  no 
mention  is  made  in  Scripture,  is  a  purely  gratuitous  hypothesis,  and  one 
which  does  not  accord  with  the  language  of  S.  Paul  in  his  Epistles.  When, 
in  writing  his  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  he  mentions  the  plan  he 
had  cherished  of  making  a  short  stay  among  them  during  his  residence  at 
Ephesus,  —  a  plan  which  he  was  forced  to  renounce,  —  he  says,  "I  had 
desired  to  go  to  you,  that  you  might  receive  a  second  grace  "  (2  Cor.  i.  15). 
These  words  "  a  second  grace,"  according  to  tlie  Apostle's  own  expression, 
dismiss  all  thought  of  a  visit  occurring  between  the  first  one  and  that  which 
he  was  then  preparing  for.  The  same  conclusion  flows  naturally  from  this 
other  passage  :  "  I  have  told  you  formerly,  and  though  absent  I  tell  you 
now  beforehand,  as  if  I  were  present  for  the.  second  time,  that,  if  I  come 
once  more,  I  will  not  spare  either  those  that  have  sinned  hitherto,  or  the 
others"  (2  Cor.  xiii.  2). 
1  2  Cor.  xii.  11-15. 


THIRD  MISSION.  —  MACEDONIA.  309 

infamous  wantonness  of  life.  Now  for  the  third  time  I  am 
preparing  to  visit  you.  '  Out  of  the  mouth  of  two  or  three 
witnesses  shall  all  things  be  judged,'^  I  have  told  you  be- 
fore, and  though  absent  I  say  it  now  beforehand,  as  if  I 
were  present  for  tlie  second  time,  I  will  spare  no  one,  neither 
such  as  have  sinned,  nor  any  one  else,  since  you  look  for  a 
proof  that  the  Christ  speaks  by  my  mouth.  .  .  .  Examine 
yourselves,  whether  you  are  really  in  the  Faith,  put  your- 
selves to  the  test.  ...  I  write  this  to  you  while  absent, 
that,  when  present,  there  may  be  no  reason  for  using  in  its 
severity  that  power  which  the  Lord  has  given  me,  not  to 
destroy,  but  to  build  up."  ^ 

This  time  Paul  was  too  entirely  absorbed  in  this 
important  theme  to  append  any  long  counsels  of  right 
conduct  to  his  letter,  as  he  was  wont  to  do  at  the  close 
of  his  Epistles  ;  he  added  but  a  few  words  concerning 
Christian  joy,  peace,  and  unitedness  of  minds  and  hearts, 
subjoined  a  brief  salutation,  then  signed  the  document 
with  this  benediction  :  — 

^'  May  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  love 
of  God,  and  the  communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  with 
you  all."  2 

It  would  seem  that  the  impression  produced  by  this 
second  letter  was  decisive.  From  that  day,  indeed,  not 
only  is  there  no  mention  either  in  the  Acts  or  Epistles  of 
any  further  troubles  in  Corinth,  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
Saint  Clement  tells  us  that  anything  like  schism  or 
rebellion  was  there  held  in  horror,  while  a  great  peace, 
overflowing  with  the  fruits  of  Charity,  reigned  in  this 
Church.^  It  is  true  that  at  the  time  the  Bishop  of  Kome 
uttered  these  praises  of  the  Corinthians  the  factious 
spirit  was  showing  signs  of  renewed  life  among  them  ;  ^ 
but   the  causes  were  of  a  very  different  nature,  for  at 

1  Deut.  xix.  15.  Taken  in  their  natural  sense,  these  words  infer  an  in- 
tention on  the  Apostle's  part  of  judging  the  Corinthians  according  to  the 
legal  forms  in  use  in  the  synagogues. 

2  2  Cor.  xii.  16-21  ;  xiii.  1-3,  5,  10. 

3  2  Cor.  xii.  13. 

4  S.  Clement,  1  Ep.  ad  Corinth.,  i-iii. 

5  Ibid.,  xlvii. 


310  SAINT  PAUL. 

least  the  quarrels  with  the  Judaizers  had  ceased,  and 
Paul's  authority  was  regarded  as  incontestable.  Thus 
for  a  time  the  longing  which  the  Apostle  expressed  at 
the  close  of  his  letter  was  granted  him  ;  after  so  many 
strifes  and  disagreements,  the  minds  and  hearts  of  his 
flock  were  united,  and  "  the  God  of  love  and  of  peace  "  ^ 
held  sway  in  the  Church  of  Corinth. 

1  2  Cor.  xiii.  11. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

SAINT  PAUL  AND  THE  JUDAIZING  ELEMENT. 

At  last,  allowing  Titus  and  his  companions  to  pursue 
their  way  toward  Corinth,  Paul  continued  his  work  of 
evangelizing  Macedonia.  The  busy  character  of  his 
Apostolic  labors  here  is  the  only  feature  noted  by  Saint 
Luke,  in  his  brief  reference  to  it  ;  ^  consequently  it  would 
appear  that  the  historian  had  not  informed  himself  con- 
cerning the  details  of  the  mission  preached  in  his  absence. 
Some  few  words  let  fall  by  Saint  Paul  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Eomans  enable  us  to  form  a  clearer  notion  of  its  general 
outlines.  He  alludes  to  Jerusalem  as  being  ever  before 
his  mind  as  the  point  of  departure  as  well  as  the  centre 
for  all  his  enterprises  ;  ^  albeit  from  this  point  the  circum- 
ference of  his  third  missionary  labors  was  ever  broadening 
till  it  finally  embraced  Illyria.  In  the  foregoing  voyages, 
to  be  sure,  he  had  hardly  travelled  beyond  the  confines  of 
the  coast  cities  ;  this  time,  however,  he  meant  to  pene- 
trate into  the  heart  of  Macedonia,  and  press  on  even  to 
the  Adriatic  shores.  The  principal  highway  across  the 
hill  country — the  Egnatian  Road  —  would  bring  him  to 
the  western  coast  of  Macedonia,  Illyria  properly  so  called 
and  as  known  to  the  Greeks.^  Is  this  the  region  the 
Apostle  speaks  of  in  his  letter  to  the  Romans,  or  had  he 
not  in  mind  rather  the  land  of  brigands  and  pirates, 
lying  farther  north,  which  Rome  was  having  such  trouble 

1  Acts  XX.  2. 

2  'Arrh  'lepovaa\i]/j.  Koï  kvkXw  fxéxpi-  'rov  'IWvpiKov.     Rom.  xv.  19. 

3  The  Province  of  Macedonia  comprised  the  Illyria  of  ancient  Greece, 
that  is  to  say  the  entire  coast  line  along  the  Adriatic  between  the  towns 
of  Lissus  and  Aulona  (Cicero,  De  Prov.  Cons.,  3  ;  In  Pison.,  34  ;  Dio 
Cassius,  xli.  49. 


312  SAINT  PAUL. 

in  subduing,  and  known  successively  as  the  Province  of 
Illyria  and  later  as  Dalmatia  ?  ^  Paul,  in  the  last  letter 
we  possess  of  his,  remarks  that  Titus  is  with  the  Dalma- 
tians ;  2  very  likely  this  disciple  had  gone  thither  as  his 
representative  to  visit  the  Christian  congregations  founded 
by  the  Apostle  at  the  period  we  are  now  considering. 
Whatever  the  extent  and  duration  of  his  missionary 
labors  at  this  date,  they  must  have  answered  all  Paul's 
expectations,  for  after  the  work  was  done  and  he  finds 
time  to  stop  and  cast  a  glance  over  the  broad  territory  of 
his  Apostleship,  —  Syria,  Asia  Minor,  and  Greece  as  far 
as  Illyria,  —  he  can  say  with  assurance  that  everywhere 
"  the  Gospel  of  Christ  has  been  fully  proclaimed  "  ;  ^ 
thereafter  "  there  was  no  reason  for  remaining  longer  in 
these  regions  "  ;  *  he  was  free,  at  last,  to  turn  his  eyes  to- 
ward that  part  of  the  world  still  left  him  to  conquer,  — 
Rome  and  the  great  West.^ 

But  the  hour  had  not  yet  struck  for  putting  into  oper- 
ation these  vast  designs.  The  contributions  for  the  poor 
of  the  Holy  City  had  been  collected  ;  and  now  Paul  felt 
religiously  bound  to  be  their  bearer  to  Jerusalem,  as  he 
was  in  honor  bound  to  make  first  that  visit  to  Corinth 
so  often  announced  and  so  often  deferred.  He  turned 
his  steps,  therefore,  toward  the  coasts  of  the  Archipel- 
ago, where  were  the  delegates  charged  with  the  duty  of 
accompanying  him  to  Judea,  and  with  them  he  started 
out  for  Achaia.  At  no  time  was  his  following  larger 
than  on  this  occasion  ;  there  were  "  Sopater  of  Berœa, 
the  son  of  Pyrrhus,  the  Thessalonians  Aristarchus  and 
Secundus,  Caius  of  Derbë,  Timothy,  Tychicus,  and  Tro- 
phimus  of  Asia."^  At  Corinth  this  little  band  was 
increased  by  the  other  disciples  who  had  already  arrived 
in  that  city,  —  Titus,  Luke,^  Justus,^  Stephanas,  Fortuna- 
tus,  Achaicus,^  Lucius,  Jason,  Tertius,  Erastus  the  City 

1  Marquardt,  Romische  Staatsverwaltung,  i.  295. 

2  2  Tim.  iv.  10. 

3  Rom.  XV.  19. 

4  Rom.  XV.  23.  '  2  Cor.  viii.  17,  18. 
s  Rom.  XV.  24.  ^  Acts  xviii.  7. 

6  Acts  XX.  4.  ^  1  Cor.  xvi  15. 


SAÎNT  PAUL  AND  THE  JUDAIZING  ELEMENT.    313 

Treasurer,  Quartus,  and  Caius  the  Corinthian  who  enter- 
tained the  Apostle  during  this  second  sojourn.^ 

Great  was  Paul's  delight  at  seeing  these  faithful 
friends  about  him,  and  to  find  the  Churches  of  Achaia 
too  once  more  peaceful  and  obedient  ;  but  his  happiness 
did  not  long  remain  untroubled.  Tidings  were  swiftly 
transmitted  over  the  great  highway  from  Asia  to  Kome, 
of  which  Corinth  was  one  of  the  principal  stations.  Paul 
had  hardly  arrived  before  he  learned  of  the  dangers  now 
menacing  the  Churches  of  Galatia.  The  Judaizers,  keen 
and  relentless  as  ever  in  tracking  his  footsteps,  had  found 
their  way  into  those  secluded  regions,  and  there,  as  else- 
where, were  doing  their  worst  to  undermine  both  his  per- 
sonal authority  and  his  teaching.  • 

Their  tactics  were  wily  and  insidious.  Without  actu- 
ally refusing  to  acknowledge  the  decisions  of  the  Jerusa- 
lem Assembly,  as  received  by  these  congregations  at  an 
earlier  date,  they  represented  these  decrees  as  a  mere 
concession  to  the  innovating  party  led  by  Paul,  one  how- 
ever that  in  no  wise  affected  the  real  authority  of  the 
Law.  If  they  were  to  be  believed,  while  faith  in  Jesus 
is  sufficient  for  Salvation,  nevertheless  Circumcision  and 
the  Mosaic  Observances  bestowed  on  the  believer  who 
practised  them  a  perfection  which  no  other  Christian 
could  ever  attain.  Paul's  Gospel,  therefore,  had  been  the 
means  of  giving  to  Galatia  a  form  of  Christianity  which 
was  incomplete,  discrowned  of  that  which  constituted 
its  priceless  value,  and  shorn  of  its  glory.  And  what 
wonder  if  it  were  so,  remembering  what  this,  their  self- 
styled  Apostle,  had  once  been  ?  From  an  enemy  of  the 
Christ,  he  had  suddenly  turned  believer  ;  naturally,  in 
his  new  career,  he  carried  with  him  all  the  haughty  pre- 
sumption of  a  former  persecutor.  Even  though  he  had 
never  beheld  Jesus,  nor  heard  His  words,  he  arrogantly 
claimed  the  right  to  fashion  a  new  Gospel  after  his  own 
fancies.  What  were  such  vain  imaginings  worth,  when 
*■  compared  with  the  teachings  of  Peter,  James,  and  John, 
—  of  all  those,  in  fact,  who  from  the  beginning  had  been 

1  Rom.  xvi.  21-23. 


314  SAINT  PAUL. 

the  witnesses  of  the  Master's  Life,  the  custodians  of  His 
doctrine  ?  These  great  Apostles,  "  pillars  of  the  Church,"  ^ 
remained  as  the  patterns  of  the  Faith  ;  no  man  is  a  per- 
fect Christian,  a  true  son  of  Abraham  and  heir  to  his 
promised  glory,  save  he  who  makes  them  his  models, 
keeping  the  Law  after  their  example,  and  bearing  its  seal 
even  in  his  flesh. 

Dearer  to  the  hearts  of  the  Judaizers  than  any  other 
practice  of  Mosaism  was  Circumcision,  the  sign  manual 
of  the  Old  Covenant  ;  but,  as  we  have  seen,  this  very 
precept  was  more  repugnant  than  any  other  to  the  Chris- 
tians of  Galatia.  These  converts,  drawn  mostly  from  the 
ranks  of  the  Heathen,  had  welcomed  the  Gospel  of  Paul 
so  favorably,  principally  because  they  considered  it  a  form 
of  Judaism  far  superior  to  that  of  the  Synagogue,  and 
purified  of  Pharisaical  rites,  among  which  this  was  the 
most  notable.  To  bring  about  a  revolution  in  popular 
sentiment,  it  was  necessary  to  destroy  Paul's  authority 
whereby  it  was  supported.  His  enemies  were  ruthlessly 
setting  about  his  ruin,  sparing  neither  lies  nor  calum- 
nies. Not  content  with  insisting  that  his  conduct  belied 
that  of  the  great  Apostles,  they  depicted  his  actions  as 
those  of  a  knave  and  timeserver  ;  now  living  like  other 
Jews,  keeping  the  Law  and  bidding  men  be  circumcised  ; 
elsewhere  rejecting  it  ;  all  this  in  the  scope  of  his  own 
dark  designs,  for  all  that  he  was  seeking  for,  at  any  time 
or  in  any  place,  was  to  ensnare  men's  minds  and  bind 
them  by  his  arbitrary  dicta. 

For  many  a  day  these  perfidious  attempts  had  been 
going  on  below  the  surface,  quietly  undermining  the 
confidence  of  his  flock  ;  but  at  last  came  the  time  when 
the  conspirators  felt  that  they  might  unite  openly,  and 
by  a  determined  effort  shake  the  fabric  to  the  very  foun- 
dations. The  tidings  that  reached  Paul  at  Corinth  de- 
scribed the  congregations  of  Galatia  as  greatly  excited, 
alarmed,  even  wavering  in  their  faith.  The  Judaizers 
had  not  as  yet  succeeded  in  gaining  the  entire  mastery, 
nor  in  laying  on  them  the  yoke  of  circumcision  ;  never- 

1  1  Gal.  ii.  9. 


SAINT  PAUL  AND   THE  JUDAIZING  ELEMENT.    315 

tlieless,  troubles  and  dissensions  were  agitating  the  pop- 
ular mind.  In  the  heat  of  discussion  "  they  waxed 
wroth  one  with  another,"  —  too  often,  indeed,  the  dispu- 
tants went  much  further,  even  down  "  to  slaying  and  de- 
vouring one  another."  The  danger  was  most  urgent; 
forthwith  Paul  confronted  it  with  the  most  vigorous  of 
all  his  Epistles.^     Taking  his  seat,  surrounded  by  the 

1  Neither  the  Acts  nor  Epistles  give  us  any  precise  indications  as  to  the 
date  of  the  Letter  to  the  Galatians.  From  the  Apostle's  words,  "  How- 
comes  it  that  you  have  turned  away  so  quickly  to  a  new  gospel  ?  "  (Gal. 
i.  6),  the  mistaken  conclusion  has  been  drawn  that  this  was  written 
shortly  after  Paul's  completing  one  of  his  missions  in  Galatia  ;  this  is  a 
mistaken  conclusion  because  in  such  cases  the  speediness  of  a  change  is 
in  proportion  to  the  seriousness  of  the  modifications  it  presumes.  In  this 
instance  the  alteration  was  of  such  a  nature  that  Paul  was  perfectly  justi- 
fied in  saying,  (just  as  much  three  years  after  he  bade  farewell  to  his  fol- 
lowers as  directly  after  parting  with  them,)  "  What  !  have  you  forsaken 
the  Christ  so  soon  ?  "  Far  surer  indications  can  be  drawn  from  the 
style  and  subject  matter  of  the  Epistle,  and  from  the  thoughts  it  is  filled 
with.  On  all  these  headings  its  correspondence  with  his  Epistle  to  the 
Romans  is  very  striking  :  in  both  he  uses  the  same  ideas,  the  same 
quotations  from  Scripture,  and  the  same  figures  of  speech.  The  Letter  to 
the  Romans  does  but  fill  out,  so  to  say,  the  sketch  already  outlined  in  its 
broad  features  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians.  The  natural  conclusion  to 
be  drawn  from  these  points  of  similarity  is  that  the  two  works  must  have 
been  composed  about  the  same  time,  either  at  Corinth,  where  all  agree 
that  Paul  dictated  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  or  just  before  his  arrival  in 
that  city,  about  the  time  he  wrote  his  second  letter  to  the  Corinthians. 
Indeed,  the  thoughts  then  occupying  the  Apostle's  mind  are  reflected  in 
the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians.  A  foremost  one,  as  we  know,  was  the  pun- 
ishment inflicted  on  the  incestuous  Corinthian,  and  his  charitable  solici- 
tude that  he  should  be  helped  to  reform.  Similar  counsels  on  this  subject 
are  given  the  Galatians  (vi.  1,  2).  On  another  point,  likewise,  —  the  great 
collection  for  Jerusalem,  —  we  can  see  that  the  Apostle's  mind  is  as  much 
occupied  when  writing  the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians,  as  when  he  wrote  to 
the  Corinthians.  Such  news  as  Paul  received  doubtless  proved  to  him 
that  these  Churches  were  showing  small  zeal  for  a  work  which  he  consid- 
ered as  most  urgent.  He  hastens  to  spur  them  on  (Gal.  vi.  7-10)  :  "Do 
not  deceive  yourselves  :  God  is  not  to  be  deceived.  Every  man  shall 
reap  as  he  has  sown.  He  who  sows  for  his  own  flesh  shall  reap  from 
the  flesh  corruption  ;  but  he  who  sows  for  the  Spirit  shall  reap  from  the 
Spirit  life  everlasting.  Let  us  not  be  wearied  in  well-doing,  for  we  shall 
reap  the  fruit  in  good  time,  if  Ave  faint  not.  Now  while  we  have  the  opportu 
nity,  let  us  do  good  to  all,  but  especially  to  those  of  the  household  of  Faith." 
Whether  Paul  wrote  these  lines  in  Macedonia  before  leaving  for  Corinth,  or 
immediately  on  reaching  that  city,  is  a  detail  of  secondary  importance,  and 
one  that  in  no  wise  alters  the  historical  outlines  of  his  career  ;  I  have  pre- 
ferred to  date  the  composition  of  this  Letter  from  Corinth,  simply  because  in 
that  town  he  could  get  news  from  Galatia  more  easily,  and  hence  of  a  more 
reliable  character  than  elsewhere.  On  this  subject  consult  Lightfoot's 
Epistle  to  the  Galatians,  Introduction,  III.  The  Date  of  the  Epistle. 


316  SAINT  PAUL. 

brethren  who  lent  a  twofold  weight  to  his  authority  in 
Corinth,  and  associating  them  in  this  work,  he  dictated 
to  one  of  their  number  a  few  pages  which  still  thrill  us 
with  the  mingled  tones  of  indignation  and  love.  At  the 
outset,  he  declares  that  the  title  his  foes  would  deny  him 
he  had  received  from  the  hands  of  Jesus,  and  from  God 
Himself  :  — 

"  Paul  an  Apostle,  (not  by  human  institution,  nor  by  the 
hand  of  man,  but  by  Jesus  Christ  and  God  the  Father  Who 
raised  Him  from  the  dead,)  as  also  all  the  brethren  who  are 
with  me,  to  the  Churches  of  Galatia  :  Grace  and  peace  be 
to  you  from  God  the  Father,  and  from  Our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  Who  gave  Himself  for  our  sins,  that  He  might 
draw  us  from  the  corruption  of  this  present  world,  accord- 
ing to  the  will  of  Our  God  and  Father,  to  Whom  be  glory 
even  unto  the  ages  of  ages  !     Amen. 

"I  marvel  that  you  are  so  ready  to  abandon  the  one  who 
called  you  through  the  grace  of  Christ,  and  to  take  up  with 
another  Gospel  :  not  that  there  is  any  other,  indeed,  but 
there  are  those  who  trouble  you  and  who  wish  to  pervert 
the  Gospel  of  Christ.  ...  If  at  any  time  any  one  —  were  it  I 
myself  or  an  Angel  from  Heaven  —  preach  the  Gospel  to 
you  otherwise  than  as  we  have  preached  it,  let  him  be 
anathema  !  Is  it  the  favor  of  men  or  that  of  God  that  I 
seek  ?  Is  it  my  aim,  think  you,  to  please  men  ?  If  I 
wished  to  be  pleasing  to  men,  I  should  no  longer  be  the 
servant  of  Christ. 

"Now  I  declare  unto  you,  brethren,  that  the  Gospel 
which  I  preached  to  you  has  naught  in  it  of  man's  handi- 
work. I  neither  received  it,  nor  did  I  learn  it,  from  any 
man,  but  by  the  Revelation  of  Jesus  Christ.  You  have 
heard  what  manner  of  life  I  led  in  the  days  of  my  Judaism, 
—  how  I  persecuted  beyond  measure  the  Church  of  God  ;  I 
was  bent  on  ravaging  it,  surpassing  those  of  my  own  age 
and  nation  in  my  zeal  for  the  traditions  of  our  fathers. 
But  when  it  pleased  Him  Who  set  me  apart  from  my 
mother's  womb,  and  called  me  by  His  grace  to  reveal  His 
Son  unto  me,  that  I  might  proclaim  Him  among  the  Gen- 
tiles, forthwith,  without  taking  counsel  from  flesh  and  blood, 
without  going  up  to  Jerusalem  to  those  who  were  Apos- 
tles before  me,  I  went  away  into  Arabia,  then  I  returned  to 


SAINT  PAUL  AND   THE  JUDAIZING  ELEMENT.    317 

Damascus.  Three  years  later,  I  went  up  to  Jerusalem 
in  order  to  visit  Cephas,^  and  with  him  I  tarried  fifteen 
days  ;  but  of  the  other  Apostles  I  saw  none,  save  only 
James,  the  brother  of  the  Lord.  In  all  that  I  am  writing 
you  I  affirm,  as  in  God's  presence,  that  I  lie  not. 

"  Thereafter  I  came  into  the  countries  of  Syria  and 
Cilicia.  Yet  I  was  still  unknown  by  face  to  the  Churches 
of  Judea  which  are  in  the  Christ;  they  had  heard  it  re- 
ported merely  that  '  He  who  persecuted  us  formerly  is  now 
proclaiming  the  Faith  which  but  lately  he  was  destroying,' 
and  they  glorified  God  on  my  account. 

"  Fourteen  years  later,  I  went  up  again  to  Jerusalem 
with  Barnabas,  and  took  Titus  with  me  also.  T  went  up  in 
obedience  to  a  Revelation,  and  I  communicated  to  them  the 
Gospel  which  I  preach  among  the  Gentiles  ;  in  private  I 
laid  it  before  those  who  would  seem  to  be  the  most  notable 
personages,  lest  perchance  all  my  running  should  be  in  vain. 
Yet  they  did  not  even  compel  Titus,  whom  I  had  brought 
with  me  and  who  was  a  Greek,  to  be  circumcised.  We 
paid  no  heed  to  the  false  brethren  who  were  creeping  in 
stealthily  among  us,  insinuating  themselves  thus  in  order 
to  spy  upon  the  freedom  which  we  have  in  Christ  Jesus,  and 
bring  us  back  again  under  bondage  ;  we  yielded  nothing  to 
them,  no,  not  for  a  moment,  that  so  the  truth  of  the  Gospel 
might  abide  among  you.  As  for  those  who  seemed  the 
most  notable  personages, — it  matters  little  to  me  what 
they  had  been  hitherto,  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons,^  — 
those,  I  say,  who  seemed  the  notablest  gave  me  no  new 
instructions. 

"  On  the  contrary,  when  they  recognized  the  fact  that  the 
Gospel  of  the  Uncircumcised  had  been  intrusted  to  me,  as 
that  of  the  Circumcision  ^  to  Peter,  (for  He  Who  wrought 
in  Peter  for  the  Apostleship  of  the  Circumcision  wrought 
also  in  me  for  the  Apostleship  of  the  Gentiles,)  when  they 

1  The  Vulojate  and  some  MSS.  read  Petrum,  Tlérpou,  but  the  reading 
Kri(pâv  seems  the  better  authorized  ;  it  is  to  be  found  notably  in  the  MSS. 
of  the  Vatican,  the  Alexandrine,  and  many  of  the  versions. 

2  Thereby  the  Apostle  alludes  to  that  privilege  of  secondary  impor- 
tance and  not  essential  to  Apostleship,  of  having  lived  in  Christ's  com- 
pany, "  having  known  him  according  to  the  flesh."     2  Cor.  v.  16. 

3  Here  there  is  no  question  of  two  different  Gospels.  By  the  "  Gospel 
of  the  Uncircumcision,"  S.  Paul  means  the  Apostleship  to  the  Gentiles, 
and  by  the  "  Gospel  of  the  Circumcision,"  the  Glad  Tidings  announced  to 
the  Jews. 


318  SAINT  PAUL. 

had  learned  the  Grace  that  had  been  given  me,  James, 
Cephas,  and  John,  who  were  accounted  the  pillars  of  the 
Church,  gave  to  me  and  to  Barnabas  their  hand  in  token  of 
our  united ness  ;  they  agreed  that  we  should  preach  to  the 
Gentiles,  they  to  the  Circumcision  ;  ^  they  recommended 
merely  that  we  be  mindful  of  the  poor  [at  Jerusalem], 
which  I  have  been  at  great  pains  to  do. 

"  Thereafter,  when  Cephas  was  come  to  Antioch,  I  with- 
stood him  to  his  face,  because  he  was  blameworthy.  In 
fact,  before  the  coming  of  certain  ones  from  James,  he  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  eating  with  Gentiles  ;  but  after  their 
arrival  he  began  to  hold  back,  and  to  separate  himself  from 
them,  for  fear  of  the  circumcised.  Like  him,  the  rest  of 
the  Jews  were  practising  this  dissimulation,  so  that  even 
Barnabas  let  himself  be  drawn  away  by  them.  As  for 
me,  when  I  saw  that  they  were  not  walking  straightfor- 
wardly according  to  the  truth  of  the  Gospel,  I  said  to 
Cephas  before  them  all,  '  If  thou,  who  art  a  Jew,  art  wont 
to  live  like  the  Pagans  and  not  like  the  Jews,  how  can  you 
compel  the  Gentiles  to  keep  Jewish  Observances  ?  As  for 
us,  we  are  Jews  in  the  order  of  nature,  and  not  of  the  num- 
ber of  the  Gentiles  who  are  sinners  ;  yet  notwithstanding, 
knowing  that  a  man  is  not  justified  by  the  works  of  the 
Law,  but  by  the  Faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  we  ourselves  have 
believed  in  Christ  Jesus,  that  we  might  be  justified  by  the 
Faith  which  we  may  have  in  Him,  and  not  by  the  works  of 
the  Law  ;  because  by  the  works  of  the  Law  shall  no  man  be 
justified.2  .  .  .  Whereas  I,  through  this  selfsame  Law, 
am  become  dead  to  the  Law,^  in  order  to  live  only  for  God. 
I  am  crucified  with  the  Christ,  I  live  no  more,  it  is  the 


1  In  other  words,  the  Jews. 

2  It  is  probable  that  the  following  verses  (17  and  18)  are  also  the 
words  he  addressed  to  S.  Peter  ;  taken  thus,  they  develop  and  complete 
the  reasoning  of  the  Apostle  ••  "  To  abandon  the  Law,  and  seek  justification 
in  Jesus  alone,  is  practically  to  assume  the  position  of  the  Heathen,  who 
are  sinners.  Does  it  not  follow,  therefore,  that  Christ's  intervention  on 
our  behalf  merely  resulted  in  making  us  sinners  like  them,  and  that  con- 
sequently Christ  is  the  minister  of  sin  ?  Far  from  us  be  any  such 
thought  !  To  free  ourselves  from  the  Law  is  no  sin,  but  to  bow  the  neck 
again  to  its  yoke,  to  assume  its  burdens  again  in  order  to  need  deliver- 
ance anew,  this  is  indeed  a  sin." 

3  By  enlightening  the  conscience,  while  yet  doing  naught  to  deliver 
man  from  temptations  and  sin,  the  Law  does  indeed  awaken  naturally  the 
idea,  as  well  as  the  need,  of  seeking  salvation  without  its  pale. 


SAINT  PAUL  AND   THE  JUDAIZING  ELEMENT.     319 

Christ  Who  lives  in  me,  and,  in  so  far  as  I  live  now  in  the 
flesh,  1  am  living  in  the  Faith,  —  Faith  in  the  Son  of  God, 
Who  loved  me  and  gave  Himself  for  me.  I  wish  not  to 
make  God's  grace  of  no  avail  ;  for  if  righteousness  is  to  be 
attained  through  the  Law,  then  did  Christ  die  in  vain  !  0 
foolish  Galatians,  who  then  has  bewitched  you,  that  you  are 
thus  become  rebels  to  the  truth,  ^  —  you  whom  I  once  made 
to  see  Jesus  Christ  so  clearly,  before  whose  eyes  I  once  de- 
picted Him,  even  as  if  crucihed  in  your  sight  ?  " 

However  striking  in  its  simplicity  this  apology  might 
be,  hov^ever  stirring  this  cry  which  seems  to  come  straight 
from  the  Apostle's  mighty  heart,  still  these  were  not  the 
weapons  that  the  Galatians  must  use  to  refute  the  cap- 
tious arguments  drawn  by  the  Judaizers  from  the  ar- 
senal of  Scripture.  Accordingly  Paul  unrolls  the  sacred 
pages  for  the  benefit  of  his  flock,  and  points  out  to  them 
inscribed  therein  that  very  same  Justification  by  Faith 
which  the  zealots  of  Mosaism  were  denying.  Is  it  not 
written  of  Abraham  that  "  He  believed,  and  his  Faith 
was  reckoned  unto  him  for  righteousness."  ^  So  is  it 
also  with  all  children  of  the  Faith,  the  true  children  of 
Abraham.  Of  this  the  Galatians  had  had  already  abun- 
dant proof  ;  for  without  being  circumcised,  without  hav- 
ing observed  the  Law,  they  had  nevertheless  received 
the  gifts  of  the  Spirit.  "Would  they  be  so  senseless, 
after  having  begun  in  the  Spirit,  to  end  in  the  flesh  ?  "  ^ 

To  Abraham  likewise  it  had  been  promised  that  "  in 
Him  all  the  nations  should  be  blessed."  This  promise 
the  Law  had  been  powerless  to  fulfil  ;  it  could  do  no 
more  than  curse  such  as  violated  its  commands,  —  nothing 
more  ;  for,  according  to  the  Scripture  itself,  "  The  just 
man  lives  by  Faith."  ^  Now  the  Law  does  not  base  its 
precepts  upon  Faith,  it  limits  its  work  to  multiplying 

Ï  The  phrase  "non  obedire  veritati,"  as  it  stands  in  the  Vulgate,  is 
wanting  in  the  most  important  MSS.  (Alexandrinus,  Vaticanus,  Augien- 
sis,  Sinaiticus  )  ;  it  is  to  be  found  in  the  following  :  Ephrœmi,  Moscow 
Synod,  98,  Passionei.     The  readings  are  different  in  MS.  D. 

2  Gen.  XV.  6. 

3  Gal.  iii.  2-7. 
*  Habak.  ii.  4. 


320  SAINT  PAUL. 

observances,  without  conferring  the  power  to  fulfil  them; 
"  Christ,  on  the  contrary,  has  redeemed  us  from  the  curse 
of  the  Law,  having  became  a  curse  for  our  sakes,  (for  it 
is  written,  'Accursed  is  he  who  is  hung  upon  the  tree,'  ^) 
to  the  end  that  the  blessing  of  Abraham  might  come 
unto  the  Gentiles  in  the  Christ  Jesus,  and  that  thus  we 
might  receive  through  Faith  the  promised  Spirit."  ^ 

Nor  could  any  one  rightly  object  that,  inasmuch  as 
the  Law  had  been  promulgated  since  Abraham's  time,  all 
its  precepts  must  needs  be  observed  in  order  that  the 
promises  uttered  to  the  father  of  all  believers  might  have 
their  fulfilment.  "  When  a  man  has  ratified  a  compact 
in  due  form,  nothing  can  either  annul  it  or  be  added  to 
it.  .  .  .  God  having  made  and  ratified  a  compact  and  a 
covenant,  this  the  Law,  which  was  given  some  four  hun- 
dred and  thirty  years  afterwards,  cannot  make  void, 
neither  can  it  annul  the  promise  made."  ^ 

But  then,  some  one  exclaims,  "  Of  what  use  is  the 
Law  ?  "  It  awakens  the  conscience  in  man,  makes  it 
impossible  for  him  any  more  to  sin  blindly  without 
realizing  the  evil  of  what  he  is  doing,  and,  most  of  all,  it 
shows  him  his  powerlessness  to  rise  above  his  sins  by 
his  own  efforts.* 

"■  It  has  been  the  school-teacher  who  has  led  us  like 
children  to  the  Christ  that  by  Faith  we  might  be  justified  ; 
but  now  tliat  the  Faith  is  come,  we  are  no  longer  under  the 
authority  of  the  school-teacher.  You  are  all,  indeed,  sons 
of  God  through  the  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.  Baptized  in 
the  Christ,  you  have  clothed  yourselves  with  the  Christ?  ^ 

1  Deut.  xxi.  23. 

•-2  Gal.  iii.  8-14. 

3  Gal.  iii.  15-18. 

*  It  also  shows  us  how  the  promises  made  to  the  Patriarchs  outweigh 
the  precepts  of  Mosaism.  The  latter,  indeed,  heing  an  alliance,  supposes 
two  parties  to  the  contract,  and  can  only  be  made  permanent  by  their 
mutual  agreement  ;  the  promises,  on  the  other  hand,  are  immutable,  for 
they  depend  on  the  will  of  the  donor,  God  alone,  in  Whom  there  is  no 
shadow  of  change.  This,  it  seems  to  me,  is  the  best  commentary  on  verse 
20,  chap,  iii,  "  A  mediator  is  not  mediator  of  one  alone,  but  God  is  one  "  ; 
the  meaning  is,  however,  so  obscure  that  more  than  250  different  interpre- 
tations have  been  proposed  for  this  passage. 

^  Is  this  merely  a  figurative  expression,  or  is  it  an  allusion  to  the  white 


SAINT  PAUL  AND   THE  JUDAIZING  ELEMENT.    321 

Henceforth  there  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  neither  slave 
nor  freeman,  neither  man  nor  woman  ;  you  are  all  one  in 
Christ  Jesus.  .  .  .  God,  when  the  fulness  of  time  was 
come,^  sent  forth  His  Son  born  of  a  woman,  born  under  the 
Law,  that  He  might  redeem  those  who  were  under  the  Law 
and  make  us  His  adopted  children.  And  because  you  are 
children,  God  has  sent  forth  the  Spirit  of  His  Son  into  your 
hearts,  crying  unto  Him,  Abba  !  that  is  to  say.  Father  ! 
Wherefore  you  are  no  longer  slaves,  you  are  sons  ;  and  if 
you  are  sons,  you  are  heirs  also,  thanks  be  to  God.'^ 

''  Formerly,  when  you  knew  not  God,  you  were  in  bond- 
age to  such  as  by  their  very  nature  are  not  gods  ;  *  but, 
now  that  you  know  God,  or  rather  that  you  have  been 
known  of  Him,'*  how  is  it  that  you  are  returning  to  those 
Legal  Observances,  weak  and  wretched  principles  that  they 
are,  to  which  you  desire  to  be  under  bondage  again  ?  You 
observe  days,  months,  seasons,  years. ^  I'l'uly,  I  sometimes 
fear  lest  I  have  worked  among  you  all  in  vain. 

"  Brethren,  I  beseech  you,  be  as  I  am  ;  for  I  too  am  as 
you  are.^  Hitherto  you  have  not  injured  me  in  anything. 
You  remember  under  what  infirmities  of  the  flesh  I 
labored  when  I  was  preaching  the  Gospel  to  you  for  the 
first  time,  yet  you  neither  scorned  nor  rejected  me  with 

garments  worn  by  the  baptized  after  having  been  immersed  '^  It  is 
doubtful  whether  this  rite  was  then  in  use  ;  howbeit  there  is  a  passage  in 
S.  Justin  which  would  seem  to  imply  that  in  his  time  it  was  observed. 
{Dialogus,  116.) 

1  By  this  fulness  of  time  we  are  meant  to  understand,  on  the  one 
hand,  that  the  hour  God  had  appointed  for  working  the  salvation  of  man- 
kind had  come,  and  on  the  other,  that  the  world  was  ripe  for  this  Redemp- 
tion, —  the  Law  having  achieved  its  work. 

■^  The  Vulgate  has  "  heirs  of  God  through  Jesus  Christ,"  a  reading  less 
warranted  by  ancient  MSS.  than  the  one  I  have  adopted. 

3  To  idols,  i.  e.  to  devils. 

*  By  tliis  the  Apostle  means  that  God  first  looks  with  mercy  upon  us, 
and  by  His  preventive  grace  we  are  drawn  to  know  and  love  Him. 

5  By  "  days,"  he  means  the  Sabbaths  of  each  week;  by  "months,"  the 
monthly  celebration  of  the  new  moon  ;  by  "  seasons,"  the  yearly  festivals, 
the  Passover,  Pentecost,  Feasts  of  the  Tabernacles,  Expiation  Days,  Dedi- 
cation, and  Purim  ;  by  "years,"  the  Sabbatic  Year,  occurring  once  in  every 
seven  years,  and  the  Year  of  Jubilee,  at  the  end  of  every  fifty  years. 
The  fact  that  he  rebukes  the  Galatiaus  for  clinging  to  these  ceremonies, 
shows  that  Paul  never  countenanced  their  observance  in  the  churches 
which  he  founded  in  Pagan  lands. 

6  I  have  discarded  all  the  observances  of  my  nation  ;  I  have  become 
a  Gentile  like  you  ;  do  you,  then,  live  free  and  untrammelled  by  Judaism, 
even  as  I. 

21 


322  SAINT  PAUL. 

loathing  on  account  of  these  trials  which  I  was  suffering  in 
my  flesh  ;  you  welcomed  me  then,  as  an  Angel  of  God,  ay, 
even  as  Jesus  Christ  Himself.  What  has  become  of  those 
happy  sentiments  ?  For  I  bear  you  this  witness,  that,  if  it 
had  been  possible,  you  would  have  plucked  out  your  eyes 
and  given  them  to  me.  Am  I  then  become  your  enemy, 
because  I  have  told  you  the  truth  ?  They  ^  profess  a 
strong  attachment  for  you,  but  it  is  not  out  of  real  affec- 
tion ;  they  want  to  separate  you  from  us,  that  you  may  be 
bound  closer  to  them.  But  what  is  for  your  real  good  is 
this,  that  you  be  bound  closer  to  well-doing,  now  and  at  all 
times,  and  not  merely  when  I  am  with  you.  0  my  little 
children,  —  for  whom  I  am  bearing  anew  the  pains  of  trav- 
ail, till  the  Christ  be  formed  in  you,  —  how  I  long  to  be  in 
the  midst  of  you  at  this  moment,  and  to  adapt  my  words  to 
your  needs,  for  I  am  much  troubled  on  your  account  !  " 

With  such  outbreaks  of  tender  affection  were  mingled 
the  arguments  which  he  thought  were  the  best  to  use 
against  the  Judaizing  faction  :  in  this  letter  we  come  upon 
them  here  and  there,  just  as  they  occurred  to  the  Apos- 
tle's mind,  with  little  care  as  to  whether  the  transition 
seemed  abrupt,  or  the  connection  far  from  clear.  One  of 
them  is  especially  notable,  inasmuch  as  it  is  based  on  the 
allegorical  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures  which  was  so 
popular  at  this  period,  showing  us  how  widely  their 
methods  of  reasoning  differed  from  any  that  would  sat- 
isfy modern  minds,  or  carry  conviction  to  the  hearer  of 
to-day  :  — 

"  Tell  me,  I  beseech  you,  ye  that  desire  to  be  under  the 
Law,  do  you  not  listen  to  what  is  read  in  the  Law  ?  For 
it  is  written  therein  that  Abraham  had  two  sons  :  one  by 
the  bondwoman,  the  other  by  the  free.  But  he  who  was 
born  of  the  bondwoman  was  born  of  the  flesh,  wherea,s  the 
son  of  the  free  woman  was  born  of  the  promise.  All  this 
is  an  allegory.  These  two  women  are  the  two  Covenants, 
one  given  from  Mount  Sinaï,  whose  offspring  are  born  into 
bondage, — this  is  Hagar:  for  Sinaï  is  a  mountain  in 
Arabia,  which  is  for  a  figure  of  the  Jerusalem  here  below,* 

^  Paul's  adversaries,  the  Judaizers. 

2  The  reading  given  above  is  tliat  of  the  following  MSS.  :  Sinaiticus. 


SAINT  PAUL  AND   THE  JUDAIZING  ELEMENT.     323 

she  is  a  slave,  she  and  her  children  ;  but  the  Jerusalem  that 
is  on  high  is  free  ;  she  then  is  our  Mother." 

What,  then,  have  the  Scriptures  to  say  of  all  this  ? 
Truly,  that  the  children  of  the  promise,  prefigured  in 
Isaac,  are  to  be  more  numerous  than  those  of  the  Law  ; 
wherefore  at  first  the  latter,  who  are  born  of  the  flesh, 
shall  persecute  the  sons  of  the  Spirit,  but  by  God's 
command  they  are  to  be  stripped  of  their  heritage. 

"  Brethren,"  the  Apostle  concludes,  "  we  are  not  children 
of  the  bondwoman,  but  of  the  free,  and  it  is  the  Christ  that 
bought  us  our  freedom.  Therefore  stand  fast,  and  do  not 
put  yourselves  under  the  yoke  of  a  new  bondage.  Remem- 
ber, 't  is  I,  Paul,  who  tell  you  this  :  If  you  cause  your- 
selves to  be  circumcised,  Christ  will  profit  you  nothing. 
Ay,  and  moreover  I  declare  unto  every  man  who  submits 
to  circumcision  that  he  thereby  lays  himself  under  obliga- 
tion to  fulfil  the  whole  Law.  Ye  who  wish  to  be  justified 
through  the  Law,  you  have  deprived  yourselves  of  all 
things  that  are  in  Christ,  you  have  fallen  away  from 
Grace  ;  as  for  us,  we  hope  by  virtue  of  our  Faith  to  receive 
of  the  Spirit  justice  ;  for  in  Jesus  Christ  neither  circum- 
cision nor  uncircumcision  are  of  any  worth,  but  Faith, 
working  through  Love. 

"You  were  running  so  well  !  Who  then  has  stopped 
you,  hindering  you  from  obeying  the  truth  ?  Assuredly,  no 
such  counsellings  proceed  from  Him  Who  is  calling  you.^  A 
little  leaven  leavens  the  whole  lump.  I  have  good  hopes 
for  you,  notwithstanding,  that  by  the  mercy  of  the  Lord 

Ephraeini,  Au^iensis,  Bœrnerianus.  S.  Jerome  gives  it  in  the  Vulgate, 
and  all  the  Latin  Fathers  adopted  it.  The  Greek  Fathers  follow  the 
obscurer  reading  found  in  the  Alexandrinus,  Vaticanus,  Claromontanus, 
and  Sangermauensis  MSS.  :  rh  Sç''Ayap  'ï>ivâ  opos  ia-riv.  If  this  text  be 
preferred,  it  is  unnecessary  to  recur  for  its  interpretation  to  the  explica- 
tions, more  curious  than  well  founded,  of  numberless  commentators.  It  is 
enough  to  understand  it  thus  .  This  Agar  (the  Agar  of  our  allegory)  is 
Mt.  Sinai  in  Arabia,  that  is,  she  represents  Sinai  because  that  mountain 
is  in  Arabia,  the  fatherland  of  A^ar  and  her  descendants;  now  this  moun- 
tain is  for  a  figure  of  the  terrestrial  Jerusalem.  If  the  reader  wishes  to 
see  this  question  discussed  with  acumen  and  learning  alike,  let  him  con- 
sult Lightfoot's  Epistle  lo  the  Galatians,  pp.  192  et  seq. 

1  By  this  use  of  the  present  tense  he  means  to  indicate  that  "  the 
gifts  and  the  calling  of  God  are  unchangeable.  He  never  repents.  Rom. 
xi.  29. 


324  SAINT  PAUL. 

you  will  have  no  other  feelings  henceforth  [save  those 
that  animated  your  conduct  at  first]  ;  as  for  him  who  is 
troubling  you,  whosoever  he  be,  he  shall  bear  the  penalty 
of  his  deeds.  For,  if  it  be  true  that  I  still  preach  Circum- 
cision, why  am  I  persecuted  ?  ^  Then  is  the  scandal  of  the 
Cross  annihilated  !  .  .  .  Ah  !  would  to  God  that  they  who 
are  disturbing  you  so  much  might  be  not  merely  circum- 
cised, but  something  more  than  circumcised  !  ^ 

"  You  have  been  called  to  freedom,  brethren  ;  only  take 
care  not  to  let  this  liberty  serve  you  as  an  occasion  of  living 
according  to  the  flesh  ;  out  of  your  love  serve  ye  one  an- 
other, for  the  whole  Law  is  contained  in  one  single  saying, 
'  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.'  .  .  .  Walk  in  the 
Spirit,  and  then  you  will  not  fulfil  the  desires  of  the  flesh  ; 
indeed,  the  flesh  is  covetous  as  regards  the  Spirit,  and  the 
Spirit  as  regards  the  flesh  ;  and  both  are  at  variance,  one 
against  the  other.  Now  they  who  are  Christ's  have  cru- 
cified their  flesh  with  its  passions  and  covetings.  If  we  live 
in  the  Spirit,  let  us  likewise  walk  in  the  Spirit." 

Usually  Paul  was  content  to  append  a  few  words  in 
his  own  handwriting  to  serve  as  a  signature  ;  this  time, 
however,  filled  with  the  thoughts  which  were  agitating 
him,  fearing,  too,  lest  he  had  not  said  enough,  he  was 
moved  to  pen  for  himself  a  short  abstract  of  what  he  had 
just  dictated. 

"  See  what  characters  ^  I  am  writing  for  you  with  my  own 
hand  ! 

"/  tell  you  that  they  only  desire  to  make  a  formal  show  of 
their  fleshly  rites,  —  those  men  who  are  forcing  circumcision 
upon  you  ;  and  this  only  that  they  may  not  be  persecuted  in 
the  name  of  the  Cross  of  Christ.     These  circumcised  men,  in 

1  Evidently  this  was  one  of  the  calumnies  bruited  abroad  by  Paul's 
adversaries. 

'^  According  to  S.  Jerome  and  the  Greek  Fathers,  Paul  is  so  filled 
with  indignation  for  these  zealous  propagators  of  Circumcision,  that  he  is 
borne  on  to  say,  "  You  deserve  to  push  your  fanaticism  to  the  extreme 
exemplified  among  the  priests  of  Cybelë,  who  mutilate  themselves." 

3  riTjAiKots  ypâfxnaaiv,  what  big  letters  :  in  allusion  to  the  large  and  badly 
written  characters  which  the  Apostle  penned  himself,  not  as  the  result  of 
his  imperfect  knowledge  of  Greek,  but  because  of  his  lack  of  practice  in 
writing.  This  is  the  explanation  of  certain  commentators,  but  probably 
the  real  cause  lay  in  his  state  of  health,  and  especially  the  trouble  with 
his  eyes  which  is  alluded  to  above.    See  Saint  Peter,  Chapter  VII.  p.  126. 


SAINT  PAUL  AND   THE  JUDAIZING  ELEMENT.    325 

fact,  do  not  keep  the  Law  ^  themselves,  hut  they  wish  you  to 
receive  ci7'cumcision  in  order  that  they  may  make  their  boast 
in  your  flesh?  But  as  for  me,  God  forbid  that  I  should 
boast,  save  only  in  the  Cross  of  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  where- 
by the  world  is  crucified  unto  me,  as  I  am  unto  the  world  ;  * 
for  in  Christ  Jesus  neither  circiim,cision  is  anything  nor  un- 
circumcision,  but  the  new  being  which  God  has  created  in  us. 
Peace  and  mercy  be  upon  all  such  as  shall  walk  according  to 
this  rule,  and  upon  the  Israel  of  God  !  *  For  the  rest,  let  no 
man  trouble  me  henceforth,  for  I  bear  in  my  body  the  stigmata  ° 
of  the  Lord  Jesus.  May  the  grace  of  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
be  with  your  spirit,  brethren.     Amen.'' 

1  All  the  efforts  of  these  Judaizers  who  were  disturbing  the  peace  of 
Galatia  were  directed  at  making  the  Christians  undergo  circumcision  ;  the 
other  observances  they  held  in  less  esteem,  and  neglected  them  themselves. 

2  They  desire  to  make  their  boast  to  the  Jews  that  they  have  won  you 
over  to  Circumcision. 

3  I  am  not  merely  dead,  but  crucified,  to  the  world,  with  Christ  Jesus  ; 
henceforth,  between  the  world  and  me  there  is  a  separation  deeper  and 
more  complete  than  death,  —  the  Cross  of  Christ. 

*  Christians,  being  "  the  true  sons  of  Abraham  and  heirs  of  the  promises 
made  to  him  and  his  race"  (Gal.  iii.  7,  16),  are  therefore  the  true  Israel, 
the  Israel  of  God.  Beside  them  there  is  only  that  "  Israel  of  the  flesh  " 
(1  Cor.  X.  18). 

*  The  marks  of  the  thongs  and  the  rods,  the  weariness  and  exhaustion 
of  a  body  broken  in  the  service  of  Jesus.  The  Apostle  contrasts  this 
mortification  of  the  whole  body  with  circumcision,  exalting  the  former  as 
the  sole  sacrifice  worthy  of  God  and  a  Christian. 


CHAPTEE  XIV. 

PAUL   WRITES   TO   THE   ROMANS. 

The  Letter  to  the  Galatians  was  the  decisive  stroke  of 
a  master  mind  ;  never  before  had  Paul  spoken  with  such 
clearness,  never  so  completely  disowned  the  tenets  of 
Mosaism.  Henceforth  no  more  Sabbaths,  no  more  Jewish 
fasts  and  legal  Observances,  no  more  Circumcision,^  but 
freedom  for  all  in  Christ  Jesus.^  All  was  over  with  the 
Law  and  its  work  of  tutelage  :  childhood  once  past,  the 
tutor  receives  his  dismissal.^  All  that  man  looked  for 
in  vain  from  the  old  Law,  —  washing  away  of  sins,  re- 
demption, sanctification,  —  all  this  he  could  find  only  in 
Jesus,  and  to  obtain  it  no  formal  practices,  no  legal  acts, 
are  required  of  him  ;  he  must  simply  believe  in  Him,  be 
united  with  Him,  and  abandon  himself  to  that  power 
divine  which  works  in  us  to  will  and  to  do.^  Such  was 
the  master  thought  which  was  absorbing  the  Apostle's 
mind  ever  more  and  more  completely,  —  it  was  the  special 
Eevelation  which  he  was  commissioned  to  make  known 
to  the  whole  wide  world. 

He  had  begun  to  grasp  its  tremendous  significance 
from  the  hour  of  his  conversion  ;  for  Jesus,  when  pointing 
out  to  him  the  vast  domain  of  Heathendom  as  the  allotted 
field  of  his  Apostolate,  had  added,  "Through  the  Faith 
which  they  shall  have  in  Me  they  shall  receive  remission 
of  their  sins  and  their  share  in  the  life  everlasting."  ^ 

As  the  celestial  Revelations  were  granted  him  in  ever 
increasing  numbers,  and  as  Paul's  soul  expanded  to  re- 
ceive God's  gifts,  in  like  manner  did  this  the  foundation 

1  Gal.  iv.  9,  10.  4  Gal.  ii.  16-20;  Philip,  ii.  13. 

2  Gal.  iv.  31.  5  Acts  xxvi.  18. 

3  Gal.  iii.  24,  25. 


PAUL   WRITES   TO  THE  ROMANS.  327 

of  Christian  Doctrine  continue  to  appear  to  him  in  clearer, 
brighter  light;  it  stood  forth  before  his  mind  in  noonday 
radiance  at  the  time  he  wrote  his  Epistle  to  the  Galatians. 
In  that  Faith  which  saves  and  justifies  us  he  saw  at  last 
all  that  we  see  therein,  —  not  a  mere  assent  of  the  rea- 
son, but  Faith  animated  by  Charity,  the  free  gift  of  one's 
heart  and  will  and  soul,  wholly  and  entirely,  to  the 
Christ.  Therein  he  was  given  to  discern  also  God's  oper- 
ations in  us,  how  He  does  not  confine  Himself  merely  to 
absolving  or  forgetting  or  concealing  the  sin  within  us 
without  destroying  it,  but  that  in  this  as  always  He  acts 
as  the  Almighty  Creator,  renewing  the  soul  of  the  believer, 
blotting  out  his  sins,  regenerating  him,  making  him  a 
sharer  in  His  own  spirit.  His  holiness.  His  righteousness. 

Gazing  on  this  marvellous  transformation  now  going 
on  in  mankind,  we  can  comprehend  Paul's  mighty  wrath 
against  that  Judaizing  sect  which  would  cast  contempt 
on  such  a  gift  from  Heaven.  No  less  keen  was  the 
anguish  caused  him  by  their  success  among  the  Gala- 
tians, unversed  as  these  Christians  were  in  the  discussions 
carried  on  in  Jewish  circles.  To  confound  and  silence 
these  foes  was  an  easy  task  for  him  in  any  place  where 
he  could  meet  them  openly,  as  here  in  Galatia  ;  but  how 
many  Christian  congregations  were  there  where  such 
plottings  against  the  truth  were  going  on  unknown  to 
him  !  Paul  could  think  of  but  one  remedy  against  this 
contagious  scourge  and  that  was  to  set  forth  his  teach- 
ings in  a  document  which  should  be  passed  about  from 
Church  to  Church,  wherein  he  could  show  once  for  all 
how  this  Kevelation  of  his  is  established  on  the  sure  foun- 
dation of  Scripture. 

The  period  of  peaceful  rest  he  was  just  now  enjoying 
at  Corinth  favored  this  design  :  rarely,  in  a  life  of  con- 
stantly recurring  difficulties,  had  the  Apostle  been  allowed 
such  repose.  He  used  the  opportunity  it  afforded  him  of 
drawing  up  a  digest  of  his  teachings,  and  this  he  put  in 
the  shape  of  a  letter,  which  seemed  to  him  the  only  form 
of  composition  wherein  his  mind  could  express  itself 
unhampered  and  completely  at  its  ease.     But  to  which 


328  SAINT  PAUL. 

particular  Church  ought  he  to  address  his  words,  in  the 
case  of  a  danger  threatening  all  alike  ?  Jerusalem  was 
not  to  be  thought  of  for  an  instant,  since  it  was  the 
stronghold  of  his  Judaizing  opponents  ;  neither  Antioch 
nor  Ephesus  was  of  sufficient  importance  outside  the 
circle  of  Oriental  Christians  :  his  thoughts,  therefore, 
again  turned  toward  Kome. 

That  mistress  of  the  world  had  never  before  wielded 
greater  power  over  men's  minds  ;  in  everything,  her  word 
was  law.  The  Church  founded  within  her  walls  had 
already  acquired  something  of  the  same  prestige  which 
belonged  to  her,  and  had  gained  the  ascendency  over  the 
Christian  bodies  scattered  over  the  Empire.  More  than 
that,  however,  it  was,  as  we  know,  the  work  and  the  See 
of  Peter.  With  this  twofold  claim  to  authority,  its  Faith 
was  being  disseminated  throughout  the  entire  world.^ 
Paul  could  not  intrust  the  propagation  of  his  doctrine 
to  busier  or  abler  hands  ;  the  Church  of  Eome,  "  so  full 
of  knowledge  and  charity,  so  capable  of  instructing  the 
others,"  ^  was  indeed  already  initiated  in  the  teachings  he 
wished  to  confide  to  its  care.  It  had  learned  them  from 
Peter,  to  whom  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  had  commu- 
nicated his  Eevelations.^  Once  and  again  it  had  received 
the  same  message  from  many  of  Paul's  disciples,  who 
from  Ephesus,  from  Corinth,  and  from  Macedonia  had 
come  over  and  settled  in  Italy,  —  warm  friends,  to  whom 
the  Apostle  sends  his  greetings  at  the  end  of  his  Letter 
to  the  Eomans.  All  he  had  to  do,  therefore,  was  to 
impress  upon  this  Church  the  importance  of  the  doc- 
trines already  known  there,  and  thus  "  fortify  "  ^  this 
faithful  flock  in  its  beliefs.  Beside  this  "  community  of 
the  Faith,"  ^  which  the  Koman  body  was  so  notable  for, 
it  was  in  possession  of  another  advantage,  invaluable  to 
him  under  the  present  circumstances,  —  it  was  one  of  the 
Churches  where  Gentiles  predominated,  one  where  he 
could  freely  forewarn  and  forearm  these  fraternities  of 

1  Rom.  i.  8.  2  Rom.  xv.  14. 

3  Acts  XV.  2-4  ;  Gal.  i.  8  ;  ii.  2,  6,  9,  14-19. 

*  Rom.  i.  11.  6  Rom.  i.  12. 


PAUL    WRITES   TO   THE  ROMANS.  329 

This  choice  was,  furthermore,  a  bril- 
liant stroke  of  policy  on  Paul's  part,  for  he  thereby  put 
himself  under  the  patronage  of  Peter,  who  was  not  only 
Chief  of  the  Twelve,  but  the  Chief  claimed  by  this  same 
Judaizing  faction  as  well. 

Despite  all  this,  one  scruple  held  him  back  from 
addressing  this  Church  :  he  had  made  it  his  rule  "  never 
to  preach  the  Gospel  in  regions  where  the  Christ  had 
already  been  announced  "  ;  ^  now  Rome  was  the  province 
of  Peter,  and  there,  as  elsewhere,  Paul  shrank  from 
attempting  to  "build  on  another's  foundation."-^  How- 
beit,  this  scruple  vanished  when  he  remembered  that,  as 
"  Christ's  minister  unto  the  Gentiles,"  ^  he  was  debtor 
to  all  alike  for  his  Gospel,  "  to  Greeks  and  Barbarians, 
learned  and  unlearned,  .  .  .  and  to  you  also,  "  he  adds, 
"  who  are  in  Rome."  ^  Yet  he  takes  good  care,  through- 
out the  whole  Letter,  to  treat  with  respectful  reserve  this 
Christian  body,  upon  which  he  had  no  claims  either  as 
their  Founder  or  their  Evangelist,  excusing  himself  for 
his  boldness  in  writing  to  them,®  limiting  his  projected 
ministry  in  their  city  to  "  visiting  them  on  the  way  " 
when  he  shall  start  out  on  his  journey  Spainward,  in 
order  to  enjoy  the  consolations  of  their  society.*"  One 
humble  wish  sums  up  all  his  ambition  so  far  as  they  are 
concerned  :  "  God  is  my  witness  how  unceasingly  I  re- 
member you,  evermore  beseeching  Him  in  my  prayers 
that,  if  it  be  His  will.  He  would  now  at  length  afford  me 

1  Elsewhere  {Saint  Peter,  Chap.  XVÏII.)  I  have  shown  how  the  Gospel 
was  propagated  in  the  capital  of  the  world  ;  the  first  sowing  of  the  good 
seed  was  done  by  Israelites  residing  in  Rome,  who  had  heard  the  Apostles 
preach  at  Jerusalem,  either  on  Whitsunday  (Acts  ii.  10),  or  during  the 
pilgrimages  of  the  ensuing  years  ;  the  divine  seed  was  scattered  more 
widely  after  S.  Peter's  coming,  at  first  bearing  fruit  among  the  Jews,  and 
thereafter  even  more  abundantly  among  the  Pagans.  The  latter  must 
have  been  in  the  majority  at  the  time  the  Apostle  was  writing  to  the 
Romans,  for  in  many  passages  of  this  Letter  he  addresses  his  words  to 
Gentiles  alone  (Rom.  i.  5,  6,'  13  ;  vi.  17  et  seq.  ;  xi.  13,  25,  28,  30;  xiv.  1  et 
seq.:  xv.  7-16).  He  sees  that  they  are  so  influential  in  the  community 
that  he  urges  them  to  be  tenderer  of  the  prejudices  of  those  brethren  who 
once  belonged  to  the  Synagogue  (Rom.  xiv.). 

-  Rom.  XV.  20.  5  Rom.  i.  14,  15. 

3  Ibid.  6  Rom.  XV.  15. 

*  Rom.  XV,  16.  "^  Rom.  xv.  24. 


330  SAINT  PAUL. 

some  favorable  opportunity  to  come  unto  you,  for  I  feel 
a  great  need  of  seeing  you,  to  make  you  partakers  of 
some  spiritual  gift."  ^ 

Paul's  undertaking,  prompted  and  controlled  by  such 
modest  views,  was  in  no  way  an  intrusion  into  Peter's 
province  :  after  devoting  himself  for  three  months  ^ 
entirely  to  the  letter  he  was  meditating,  the  Apostle 
dictated  it  to  Tertius,^  —  not  under  any  sudden  impulse 
of  emotion,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians, 
but  rather  letting  the  thoughts  ripen  slowly,  in  the  calm 
and  seclusion  which  surrounded  him  in  the  hospitable 
home  of  Caius.*  This  short  document  is,  accordingly,  of 
very  peculiar  importance,  since  therein  the  Apostle's 
thoughts  develop  themselves  more  completely  than  any- 
where else.  Indeed,  we  only  need  add  to  it  certain  Scrip- 
tural commentaries  used  in  refuting  the  Jews,  and  we 
have  before  us  Saint  Paul's  theology  almost  in  its  en- 
tirety. His  teachings  concerning  the  Supernatural  Life 
are  all  summed  up,  —  the  powerlessness  of  fallen  man 
to  rise  by  his  own  efforts,  Kedemption,  Justification  by 
Faith  in  Jesus,  union  with  the  Christ  transforming  the 
soul,  creating  within  it  a  new  being,  a  holy  and  divine 
creature,  —  while  all  these  marvels,  purely  the  effects 
of  Grace,  are  foreseen  and  predestined  from  all  Eter- 
nity. 

Justification  through  Faith  is  the  essential  condition 
and  the  principal  of  these  workings  of  God  in  the  soul. 
Paul  establishes  its  absolute  necessity  for  all,  for  Jews  as 
well  as  Pagans.  What  can  any  man  do,  indeed,  when 
left  to  his  own  strength  ?  Nothing,  except  turn  from 
God  and  sin. 

The  Gentiles  of  Heathendom,  it  is  true,  were  capable  of 
attaining  truth  and  natural  virtues.  As  the  stepping- 
stones  which  lead  to  righteousness,  they  possessed  the 
wide  field  of  creation  wherein  are  reflected  "  the  invisible 
perfections  of  the  Godhead,  His  everlasting  power  and 
Divinity  "  ;  they  had,  too,  the  moral  law  graven  in  their 

1  Rom.  i.  9-11.  3  Kom.  xvi.  22. 

2  Acts  XX.  3.  *  Rom.  xvi.  23. 


PAUL   WRITES  TO   THE  ROMANS.  331 

conscience.  But  in  base  ingratitude  for  such  gifts,  nay, 
despising  them,  "  in  their  reasonings  they  went  astray  ; 
their  hearts  were  darkened  ;  calling  themselves  wise,  they 
were  turned  into  fools  ;  they  have  transferred  the  honor 
due  to  the  one  only  and  imperishable  God  to  bestow  it 
on  images  of  birds,  four-footed  beasts,  and  reptiles.  For 
this  reason  God  has  given  them  up  to  the  lusts  of  their 
heart  ...  to  a  depraved  sense,"  to  shameful  and  unnat- 
ural vices.^  The  same  powerlessness,  the  same  deca- 
dence, is  apparent  in  the  Jew.  In  vain  does  he  boast  of 
being  a  "  leader  of  the  blind,  the  light  of  those  who  are 
in  darkness,  a  Doctor  to  the  ignorant,  instructor  of  the 
uneducated  and  the  young,  and  of  possessing  in  his  Law 
the  rule  of  all  knowledge  and  truth."  This  Law  is  vio- 
lated even  by  him.  Eather,  "  he  is  a  true  Jew  who  is  so 
inwardly,  the  true  circumcision  is  that  of  the  heart  which 
is  wrought  by  the  Spirit,"  not  that  of  the  flesh.^ 

"  Is  there  then  no  special  prerogative  belonging  to  the 
Jews,  no  profit  accruing  to  them  from  Circumicision  ?  On 
the  contrary,  great  is  their  advantage  in  every  way,  princi- 
pally insomuch  as  the  Oracles  of  God  have  been  confided  to 
them."  The  promises  contained  therein  shall  be  fulfilled, 
despite  the  incredulity  of  many  among  their  own  people. 
Albeit  Israel  may  not  infer  from  this  that  the  chosen  race 
is  of  a  higher  value  in  God's  sight  than  are  the  Gentiles  ; 
for  Scripture  tells  us  that  all  men  are  equally  in  a  state  of 
sin.  The  Law  does  but  confer  on  the  Jew  a  clearer  insight 
into  the  evil,  but  no  grace  whereby  he  is  strengthened 
and  enabled  to  rise  again,  nor  any  power  to  perform  the 
works  his  Law  prescribes.^  If  this  be  so,  whence  comes 
Salvation  ?  From  Faith  in  Jesus,  Who  redeems  man 
from  sin  and  makes  him  righteous,  —  a  Faith  offered  to 
all,  since  all  have  sinned,  —  freely  offered,  for  the  Blood 
of  the  Saviour  was  shed  to  pay  the  price.* 

1  Rom.  i.  18-32. 

2  Rom.  ii.  1-29. 

3  Rom.  iii.  1-20. 

*  This  doctrine  of  Justification  by  Faith,  far  from  destroying  the  Law, 
does  but  confirm  it.  Indeed  what  do  we  read  in  the  latter  ?  "  Abraham 
believed,  and  his  faith  was  reckoned  to  him  unto  justice."    (Gen.  xv.  6.) 


332  SAINT  PAUL. 

And  how  admirable  are  the  effects  of  this  divine  op- 
eration in  our  souls  !  Justified  by  Faith,  we  have  peace 
with  God,  and  the  hope,  never  to  be  gainsaid,  of  sharing 
some  time  in  the  glory  of  His  children.  Of  this  we  could 
ask  no  surer  pledge  than  the  love  of  God  wherewith  our 
hearts  are  filled  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  Because  He  breathed 
this  love,  even  while  we  were  sinners  and  foes  of  God, 
Christ  loved  us  even  unto  the  dying  for  us  ;  then  what  will 
He  not  do  for  us  now  that  we  are  ransomed  and  justified 
by  His  Precious  Blood  ?  Not  only  does  He  reconcile  us 
with  God,  He  even  makes  our  salvation  His  glory  and 
His  triumph.  Justification,  in  fact,  operates  within  us 
through  the  mediatorship  of  Christ,  even  as  original  sin 
and  damnation  through  Adam.  By  the  disobedience  of 
one  man  alone  we  were  all  lost,  by  the  obedience  of 
Christ  alone  we  are  all  saved,  but  with  a  grace  as  much 
more  abundant  as  it  is  higher  than  the  Law  which  inter- 
vened, —  the  former  as  fertile  in  spiritual  gifts  as  the 
latter  was  in  multiplying  precepts  and  practices  under 
pain  of  sin.  But  where  formerly  there  was  a  super- 
abundance of  sin,  there  God  has  made  grace  more  abun- 
dant, "  that,  as  sin  has  reigned  by  giving  death,  so  Grace 
might  reign  through  righteousness  by  giving  life  eternal 
through  Jesus  Christ  Our  Lord."  ^ 

Shall  we  then  persist  in  sin  that  we  may  furnish  more 
room  for  this  superabundance  of  Grace  ?  God  forbid  ! 
for  yet  another  fruit  of  Justification  is  to  free  us  from 
sin.     By  Baptism  the  Christian  dies  and  is  buried  in  the 

Consequently  his  works  were  not  reckoned  in  this  justice,  certainly  not 
Circumcision,  since  he  first  received  justification  by  Faith,  while  circum- 
cision only  came  thereafter  as  the  mark  and  seal  of  this  justification,  that 
thus  he  might  be  unquestionably  the  Father  of  all  believers,  circumcised 
and  uncircumcised,  both  alike  being  justified  by  Faith  alone.  Further- 
more, Abraham  shows  us  by  his  example  what  we  are  to  understand  by 
this  justifying  Faith,  namely,  that  it  consists  in  believing  God  without 
hesitation  against  all  human  probabilities,  thereby  acknowledging  His 
Omnipotence.  "  Now,  not  of  him  alone  is  it  written  that  his  Faith  was 
reckoned  to  him  unto  justice,  but  of  us  also,  to  whom  it  shall  be  reckoned 
likewise,  if  we  believe  in  lîim  Who  raised  from  the  dead  Jesus  our 
Lord,  Who  was  delivered  unto  death  for  our  sins,  and  Who  rose  again  for 
our  justification."  Rom.  iii.  21-31  ;  iv.  1-25. 
1  Rom  V.  1-21. 


PAUL    WRITES  TO   THE  ROMANS.  333 

tomb  of  Jesus  only  to  rise  with  Him  into  a  new  life  ; 
henceforth  "  the  old  man  "  in  us,  the  sinful  man  of  the 
flesh,  who  dies  with  Christ,  is  delivered  forevermore  from 
the  slavery  of  sin  ;  risen  with  Christ,  he  ought  "  to  re- 
gard himself  as  being  dead  to  sin,  and  living  no  longer 
save  unto  God  in  Christ  Jesus."  ^ 

By  virtue  of  this  communion  in  the  death  of  her  Sav- 
iour, the  soul  comes  forth  enfranchised,  not  from  sin  alone, 
but  from  the  Law.  The  latter  certainly  has  no  authority 
over  a  man  beyond  the  period  of  his  earthly  existence. 
Just  as  the  marriage  law  obliges  the  wife  to  obey  her 
husband  only  during  the  life  of  the  latter,  and,  the  hus- 
band dying,  the  wife  is  free,  —  so  is  it  with  us  Christians  : 
dead  with  Christ,  w^e  are  no  longer  bound  to  bear  the 
yoke  of  the  Law,  rather,  because  united  to  our  risen 
Lord,  in  Him  we  bring  forth  fruits  meet  for  God's  ac- 
ceptance. "When  we  w^ere  in  the  flesh,  the  criminal 
passions  occasioned  by  the  Law^  wrought  in  our  mem- 
bers, leading  us  to  bear  fruit  unto  death  ;  but  now  we  are 
freed  from  the  Law  which  bound  us,  insomuch  that  we 
now  serve  God  in  the  new  service  of  the  Spirit  and  not 
in  the  old  bondage  of  the  letter."  ^ 

Peace,  a  steadfast  and  firm  hope,  love  divine  poured 
into  our  hearts,  deliverance  from  sin,  freedom  from  the 
old  bondage  of  the  Law,  —  surely  these  were  marvellous 
fruits  of  Justification  ;  nevertheless  it  remained  for  Paul 
to  set  forth  the  most  remarkable  of  its  effects,  the  trans- 
formation it  works  in  the  soul,  animating  it  with  a  life 
supernatural  and  divine,  the  life  of  Christ.     Thereby  the 

1  Kom.  vi.  1-23. 

2  From  this  it  does  not  follow  that  the  Law  is  sinful  and  of  itself  leads 
to  sin.  For  fallen  man  truly  it  becomes  an  occasion  of  sin.  because  it 
at  once  makes  him  know,  and  excites  in  him,  evil  longings  without  giving 
him  the  strength  to  resist  them  ;  but  in  itself  it  is  holy  and  good.  The 
best  proof  of  this  is  the  strife  which  it  arouses  in  us  between  the  inward 

■man,  who  by  his  reason  approves  of  this  Law  and  wishes  to  obey  it,  and 
the  carnal  man  -vVho  resists  its  mandate.  "For  in  my  members  I  feel 
the  presence  of  another  law  which  strives  against  the  law  of  my  reason 
and  holds  me  captive  to  the  law  of  sin  which  exists  in  my  members. 
Unhappy  man  that  I  am  !  who  shall  deliver  me  from  this  body"  of  death  "?  " 
Rom.  vii.  7-25. 
2  Rom.  vii.  1-6. 


334  SAINT  PAUL. 

Spirit  of  Jesus,  the  Spirit  of  God,  dwells  within  us,  ren- 
dering easy  what  was  impossible  under  the  Law  ;  out  of 
the  carnal  men  that  we  are,  it  is  evermore  forming  spirit- 
ual beings,  with  no  other  life  and  love  save  through  God.^ 
Let  us  not,  therefore,  live  according  to  the  dictates  of  the 
flesh,  but  according  to  the  Spirit,  for  the  flesh  begets 
death,  while  the  Spirit  begets  that  Life  which  makes  us 
in  Jesus  Christ  the  adopted  sons  of  God.  As  sons  of 
God,  we  are  joint  heirs  with  Christ,  henceforth  assured, 
since  we  suffer  with  Him,  of  sharing  likewise  in  His  glory. 
Ay,  and  what  pledges  are  ours  that  these  promises  will 
be  fulfilled  !  What  wondrous  tokens  of  this  new  birth  ! 
First  of  all,  the  whole  creation,  which  groans  and  writhes 
in  the  pangs  of  labor,  and  is  unable  to  cast  off  the  slavery 
of  corruption  unless  the  sons  of  God  shall  enter  into 
glory;  thereafter  we  ourselves,  "who  are  groaning  in 
expectation  of  the  effects  of  the  divine  adoption,  the  re- 
demption and  the  deliverance  of  our  body  "  ;  then  there  is 
the  Spirit  from  on  High,  Who  to  support  us  in  our  weak- 
ness prays  within  us  with  unutterable  groanings  ;  finally 
we  have  God  Himself,  Who  from  all  Eternity  has  pre- 
destined us  to  be  the  likeness  of  His  Son.  Those  whom 
He  has  predestined,  called,  and  justified,  them  He  will 
also  glorify.  ^ 

''  After  this  what  are  we  to  say  ?  If  God  is  for  us,  who 
shall  be  against  us  ?  He  that  spared  not  His  own  Son,  but 
delivered  Him  unto  death  for  all  of  us,  —  how  shall  He  not 
give  us  also  all  things  with  Him  ?  Who  shall  accuse  the 
chosen  ones  of  God  ?     God  Himself  justifies  them.     Who 

1  "  They  who  are  according  to  the  flesh  keep  their  thoughts  on  the  things 
of  the  flesh  ;  they  that  are  according  to  the  Spirit,  on  the  things  of  the 
Spirit  ;  the  fleshly  mind  is  death,  the  mind  of  the  Spirit  life  and  peace, 
because  the  fleshly  mind  is  the  enemy  of  God  ,  nor  does  it  subject  itself  to 
His  law,  neither  can  it  do  so.  .  .  .  But  you  are  not  in  the  flesh,  but  in 
the  Spirit,  .  .  .  the  Spirit  of  Christ.  .  .  .  Now  if  the  Christ  be  in  you,  the 
body  is  dead  within  you,  because  of  sin,  but  the  Spirit  is  life  because  of 
justice.  And  if  the  Spirit  of  Him  Who  raised  up  Jesus  from  the  dead 
dwells  within  you,  He  Who  raised  up  Christ  from  the  dead  will  give  life 
also  to  your  mortal  bodies,  because  of  His  Spirit  which  dwells  within 
you."     Rom.  viii.  1-11. 

2  Rom.  viii.  12-30. 


PAUL    WRITES  TO   THE  ROMANS.  335 

will  dare  to  condemn  them  ?  Will  the  Christ  ?  He  Who  is 
dead,  nay,  rather  Who  is  risen,  Who  sits  on  the  right  hand 
of  God,  Who  intercedes  for  us  !  Who  then  shall  separate  us 
from  the  love  of  Christ  ?  Shall  tribulations,  sufferings, 
persecution,  famine,  nakedness,  perils,  or  the  sword  ?  .  .  . 
In  all  these  ills  we  shall  still  be  conquerors  through  Him 
that  loved  us.  For  I  stand  fast  in  the  assurance  that 
neither  death  nor  life,  neither  angels  nor  principalities, 
neither  things  present  nor  things  to  come,  nor  any  power, 
neither  such  as  are  above  nor  those  from  below,  nor  any 
other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of 
God  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  Our  Lord."  ^ 

In  this  transport  of  Faith  Paul  had  for  the  moment 
lost  sight  of  Israel,  its  Law,  its  puerile  Observances,  and 
their  worthlessness  so  far  as  man's  Salvation  is  concerned. 
This,  however,  was  the  principal  object  of  his  Letter.  He 
returns  to  the  charge  abruptly,  calling  God  to  witness 
that  though  Jesus  and  His  reign  over  our  souls  has  be- 
come the  one  thing  needful  in  his  eyes,  yet  he  neither 
forgets  nor  disdains  his  brethren  of  the  same  blood  with 
him  according  to  the  flesh.  So  deep  is  his  sorrow  at  the 
spectacle  of  their  incredulity,  that  he  would  fain  be  an 
anathema  himself  to  procure  their  salvation  ;  for  to  them 
belongs  by  right  "the  adoption  of  the  children  of  God, 
His  glory.  His  covenant,  His  Law,  His  worship,  His 
promises  ;  theirs,  too,  are  the  Prophets  from  whom,  ac- 
cording to  the  flesh,  is  sprung  the  Christ,  Who  is  in  all 
things  God  blessed  f orevermore."  ^ 

Furthermore,  these  divine  promises  are  being  fulfilled 
despite  their  unbelief,  for  it  is  not  his  life-blood  alone  that 
makes  the  true  Israelite,  there  is  besides  the  choice  and 
vocation  which  come  from  God.  The  history  of  the  holy 
Patriarchs  is  cited  in  evidence  ;  of  Abraham's  two  sons, 
one  alone  inherits  the  promise  ;  of  the  sons  of  Isaac,  born 
at  the  same  time,  the  first  one  to  come  forth  from  the 
mother's  womb  is  not  the  one  destined  to  become  leader 
of  the  chosen  people  ;  the  younger  is  to  be  chief,  and  this 
through  the  gratuitous  predilection  of  God.     Nor  is  there 

1  Rom.  viii.  31-39.  2  ||om.  ix.  1-5. 


336  SAINT  PAUL. 

any  injustice  in  such  a  choice,  for  no  one  has  a  right  to  be 
chosen  by  the  Lord.  Since  salvation  does  not  depend  on 
our  works,  but  first  of  all  upon  God  Who  doeth  merci- 
fully, what  man  dare  demand  of  Him  the  reasons  for  His 
choice  ?  "  Does  the  earthen  vessel  say  to  him  that  is 
moulding  it,  '  Why  dost  thou  make  me  thus  ?  '  Has  not 
the  potter  power  over  the  clay  to  make  out  of  the  same 
lump  of  earth  one  vessel  destined  for  honorable  service, 
another  for  base  uses  ?  "  No  more  right  has  man  to  com- 
plain if,  on  the  one  hand,  God  patiently  suffers  the  exist- 
ence of  certain  dishonored  vessels,  who  are  become  of  their 
own  free  will  vessels  of  wrath,  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
not  only  from  among  Jews,  but  also  from  Heathens,  He 
selects  the  vessels  of  mercy  which  He  has  destined  to 
serve  Him  in  glory.  This,  indeed,  is  what  no  son  of  Israel 
should  ever  forget  :  '  If  he  be  supplanted  in  his  rightful 
heritage,  if  he  forfeits  his  privileges,  he  has  only  his  own 
free  will  to  blame,  since  he  chooses  to  dash  against  the 
stumbling-block  of  the  Jews,  —  legalized  works  instead  of 
Faith.  What  folly  to  seek  vainly  after  righteousness  in  the 
laborious  fulfilment  of  the  entire  Law,  when  even  the  Law 
itself  shows  us  that  Salvation  is  easily  obtained  through 
faith  alone  in  Jesus.^  God  has  taken  good  heed  that  this 
Way  of  Life  should  be  made  open  to  all,  by  sending  forth 

1  "  Jesus  Christ  is  the  end  of  the  Law,  that  He  may  justify  all  those  who 
shall  believe  in  Him.  Now  Moses  thus  describes  the  justice  which  comes 
from  the  Law  :  *  The  man  who  shall  observe  its  commandments  shall 
find  life  therein.'  (Lev.  xviii.  5.)  But  hear  how  he  speaks  of  that  justice 
which  springs  from  Faith  :  '  Say  not  in  thine  heart,  Who  can  ascend  into 
Heaven  ?  to  bring  down  the  Christ  thence.  Or,  Who  shall  descend  into 
the  abyss  ?  to  raise  up  the  Christ  from  the  dead.'  But  what  saith  the 
Scripture?  '  The  word  which  is  proclaimed  unto  thee  is  nVgh  thee,  in 
thy  mouth  and  in  thy  heart.'  (Deut.  xxx.  12-14.)  This  is  the  word  of 
Faith  which  we  preach,  to  wit,  that  if  with  thy  mouth  thou  wilt  confess 
that  Jesus  is  the  Lord,  and  with  thine  heart  wilt  believe  that  God  has 
raised  Him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved.  For  man  must  believe  in 
his  heart  in  order  to  be  justified,  and  confess  his  Faith  in  words  that  he 
may  obtain  Salvation.  For  this  cause  the  Scripture  saith,  '  Whosoever 
believeth  in  Him  shall  not  be  confounded.'  (Is.  xxviii.  16).  In  this  there 
is  no  distinction  between  Jew  and  Gentile,  because  they  aU  have  but  one 
and  the  same  Lord,  Who  showers  His  bounties  on  all  such  as  call  upon 
Him,  for  'whosoever  shall  call  upon  the  Name  of  the  Lord  shall  be 
saved'  (Joel.  ii.  32)."    Rom.  x.  4-13. 


PAUL    WRITES   TO   THE  ROMANS.  337 

His  ministers  over  the  whole  world.  The  Gentiles  have 
entered  thereon  gladly  ;  why  does  not  Israel  follow  in 
their  steps  ?  ^ 

What  then  !  has  God  utterly  rejected  those  who  were 
once  His  chosen  people  because  of  this  their  unbelief  ? 
No,  most  assuredly  no.  Just  as,  long  since.  He  had  reserved 
unto  Himself  seven  thousand  men  that  had  not  bowed 
the  knee  to  Baal,  so  to-day  does  He  draw  from  out  His 
olden  people  a  handful  of  elect.  By  far  the  larger  num- 
ber, it  is  true,  shut  their  eyes  and  turn  away,  but  their 
blindness  is  not  to  last  always  ;  owing  to  this  falling 
away,  the  Heathen,  chosen  to  fill  Israel's  place  before 
God,  are  now  arousing  something  of  rivalry  among  the 
Jews,  and  some  day  the  Gentiles  will  induce  these  fore- 
runners of  theirs  in  the  Faith  to  follow  their  own  exam- 
ple. And  then,  if  a  temporary  falling  away  on  the  Jews' 
part,  if  this  momentary  eclipse  of  their  Faith,  has  been 
the  means  of  giving  such  spiritual  wealth  as  well  as  Sal- 
vation, to  the  world,  what  results  will  follow  the  conver- 
sion of  the  entire  body  ?  It  will  be  like  a  flash  of  life 
from  the  cold  heart  of  death.  For,  "  if  the  first  fruits  be 
hallowed,  so  also  is  the  whole  mass  ;  if  the  root  be  hal- 
lowed, so  also  are  the  branches.  If,  then,  some  of  the 
branches  have  been  broken  off,  and  thereafter  thou,  a  wild 
olive  grafted  in  amongst  them,  art  become  a  sharer  of 
the  root  and  sap  of  the  olive  tree,  do  not  take  this  as  a 
reason  for  pride  or  disdain  of  the  branches  broken  otf  ; 
...  for  if  God  spared  not  the  natural  branches,  no  more 
will  He  spare  thee."  And  again,  Israel  is  not  destined  to 
persist  in  its  blindness  forever,  only  until  all  nations  have 
entered  into  the  Church  ;  then  will  God  be  mindful  of 
the  promises  made  to  the  Patriarchs,  He  will  turn  unto 
their  children's  children  and  call  them  to  Himself.  Thus 
the  infidelity  of  the  Jews  shall  serve  to  bring  the  Gentiles 
unto  the  Faith  ;  and  in  their  turn  the  Gentiles,  by  their 
Faith,  shall  some  day  lead  the  Jews  to  believe,  and  God, 
after  enveloping  them  in  a  common  incredulity,  shall 
save  them  all  gratuitously,  the  one  by  means  of  the  other. 

1  Rom.  ix  6  — X.  21. 

9  9 


338  SAINT  PAUL. 

"0  depth  of  the  wisdom  and  the  knowledge  of  God  !  how 
unfathomable  are  His  judgments,  how  unsearchable  His 
paths  !  All  things  proceed  from  Him,  all  are  through  Him, 
all  in  Him  :  unto  Him  be  glory  forevermore  !     Amen."  * 

The  Apostle  did  not  fail  to  terminate  his  letter,  as  he 
always  did,  with  certain  practical  counsels  ;  for,  after 
having  repeated  so  frequently  that  Faith  justifies  the 
Christian  without  works,  it  behooved  him  to  let  it  be 
clearly  understood  that  this  Faith,  though  it  be  not  the 
outcome  of  works,  yet  becomes  their  mainspring  in  the 
justified  soul,  wherein  it  is  constantly  operating  through 
the  guiding  principle  of  Love.  And  to  this  end  he  re- 
minds the  Komans  of  that  holiness  of  living  which  this 
renewal  of  God's  Spirit  brings  to  pass  in  every  Christian 
congregation  worthy  of  that  name.  Therein  all  consider 
themselves  as  members  of  the  one  same  body  :  whether 
prophets  or  deacons,  teachers  or  preachers,  distributers  of 
alms  or  spiritual  guides,  or  ministers  of  the  works  of 
mercy,  —  all  act  as  one,  united  in  singleness  of  heart  and 
ardent  zeal,  and  in  the  joy  that  is  filling  their  souls.^  Be- 
low them  are  the  brethren  who  vie  with  one  another  in 
making  of  their  bodies  and  passions  a  living  and  stain- 
less holocaust,  worthy  of  God,  and  thereby  offer  Him 
a  reasonable  and  spiritual  worship.^  Hence  will  arise 
all  those  splendid  virtues  which  Saint  Paul  urges  the 
Eomans  to  practise  :  — 

"  Let  your  love  be  without  hypocrisy  ;  abhor  that  which 
is  evil,  be  steadfast  in  well-doing  ;  cherish  a  brotherly  love 
one  for  another  ;  outdo  one  another  in  showing  honor  and 
respect.  Be  active  in  duty,  with  a  fervent  spirit,  for  you 
are  serving  the  Lord  ;  be  joyous  in  your  hope,  patient  in 
misfortunes,  persevering  in  prayer,  charitable  in  supplying 
the  needs  of  the  saints,  prompt  to  show  hospitality.  Bless 
those  that  persecute  you  ;  ay,  bless  and  curse  not.  Eejoice 
with  them  that  rejoice,  weep  with  them  that  weep,  ever- 
more united  in  feeling,  not  aspiring  to  high  things,  but 
making  fellowship  with  the  lowly.  .  .  .  Live  in  peace,  if 
that  be  possible,  with  all  men.     Do  not  revenge  yourselves, 

1  Rom.  xi.  1-36.  2  j^om.  xii.  3-8.  ^  Rom.  xii.  1. 


PAUL    WRITES  TO   THE  ROMANS.  339 

my  beloved.  ...  If  your  enemy  is  hungry,  give  him  to 
eat  ;  if  he  thirst,  give  him  drink.  ...  Do  not  allow  your- 
selves to  be  vanquished  by  evil,  but  overcome  evil  with 
good."  ^ 

Paul  would  not  limit  his  advice  to  these  general 
principles  of  Christian  conduct.  The  Church  of  Eome, 
though  composed  for  the  greater  part  of  converted 
Pagans,  contained  a  goodly  number  of  members  who 
came  from  the  synagogues,  or  at  least  had  frequented 
them  once.  Many  of  them  had  carried  with  them,  and 
still  retained,  certain  fanatical  notions  which  at  that  time 
were  being  propagated  throughout  Jewry  by  the  Ebion- 
ites,  in  whose  eyes  the  existing  world  was  regarded  as  the 
realm  of  Satan,^  like  Judas  the  Gaulonite,  who,  proclaim- 
ing that  Jehovah  alone  is  Master,  preached  rebellion 
against  Konie.^  Without  going  to  this  extreme,  certain 
disciples  were  suggesting  doubts  as  to  the  lawfulness  of 
taxation,  or  whether  any  respect  or  obedience  was  due  to 
the  laws  of  the  Empire.  Paul  felt  it  his  duty  to  fore- 
arm them  against  such  seditious  tendencies.  He  knew 
by  experience  what  security  the  new  Faith  had  found 
hitherto  in  the  equity  of  Eoman  magistrates  ;  but  these 
were,  after  all,  but  transient  and  fleeting  dispositions  ; 
passing  to  a  loftier  point  of  view,  the  Apostle  points  out 
to  the  Eomans  how  "  all  power  proceeds  from  God,"  ^ 
and  hence  in  all  lawfully  constituted  authority  there  is 
an  order  established  by  God,  as  it  were  an  effusion  of 
the  Divine  Majesty  and  Authority,  worthy  of  respect  and 
something  of  religious  awe. 

"  It  behooves  us,  then,  to  be  submissive  subjects,"  is  his 
conclusion,  ''  not  merely  out  of  fear  of  the  punishment,  but 
as  a  duty  of  conscience.  And  it  is  for  this  reason  that 
you  pay  taxes.  Eulers  are,  indeed,  the  ministers  of  God, 
always  intent  on  the  functions  of  their  office.  Eender, 
therefore,  to  each  what  is  due  to  him  :  tribute  to  whom 

1  Rom.  xii.  9-21. 

2  Ckmentinœ  Homilîœ,  xv.  6,  7,  8. 

3  Josephus,  Antiq.  Jiid.,  xviii.  i.  6  ;  Bell.  Jud.,  ii.  viii.  1. 
*  Rom.  xiii.  1. 


340  ♦  SAINT  PAUL. 

tribute  is  due  ;  customs  to  whom  customs  ;  fear  to  whom 
fear  ;  honor  to  whom  honor."  ^ 

Asceticism  was  another  point  which  the  Apostle  dwelt 
upon  at  some  length,  —  especially  the  abstinence  from 
meat  diet,  which  was  practised  by  certain  members  of 
the  Roman  Church.  A  feeling  of  aversion  for  animal 
flesh  was  common  to  many  of  the  religious  sects  which 
had  won  great  renown  owing  to  the  decline  of  the  state 
religion  at  this  period  :  such  were  the  Pythagoreans, 
the  Essenes,'-^  Gnostics,  and  Ebionites.^  Their  followers, 
on  becoming  Christians,  did  not  renounce  their  severe 
manner  of  living,  especially  the  acts  of  abstinence  which 
they  regarded  as  an  expiation  for  their  sins  and  a  means 
of  subjecting  the  body.  They  did  not,  like  the  Jews, 
simply  refrain  from  any  save  lawful  and  clean  meats  ; 
but,  disdaining  all  flesh  as  contaminating,  they  lived  on 
vegetable  food  alone,  never  touching  wine.^  Paul  could 
not  approve  of  this  excessive  rigorism,  which  he  looked 
upon  as  betraying  weakness  in  the  Faith  ;  ^  yet  he  pre- 
ferred to  appeal,  in  the  name  of  fraternal  charity,  to  the 
"  strong,"  the  larger  number,  to  respect  the  feelings  of 
the  less  enlightened  minority,  bidding  the  mnot  to  con- 
temn their  weaker  brethren,  nay,  rather  to  avoid  all 
discussion  on  such  points,  not  only  concerning  the  choice 
of  one's  food,  but  also  concerning  any  distinction  between 
days,  and  upon  the  Sabbath  in  particular.^ 

At  Rome  there  were  so  many  Jews,  proselytes,  and 
even  Pagans  in  sympathy  with  Mosaic  teachings,  who 
were  wont  to  observe  the  holy  day  of  rest,  that  the 
whole  aspect  of  the  town  on  that  day  showed  the 
change  in  feeling.*"  Some  of  the  Christians  followed 
their  example,  and  were  all  the  more  tenacious  in  up- 

1  Rom.  xiii.  5-7. 

2  Lightfoot,  Epistle  to  the  Colossians,  The  Essenes,  p.  379. 

3  S.  Epiphanius,  Adv.  Hœreses,  xxx.  15. 

4  Rom.  xiv.  2,  21. 
s  Rom.  xiv.  1. 

6  Rom.  xiv.  2-5. 

■^  Marquardt,  Romiscke  Staatsvenvaltung,  iii.  81  ;  Hausrath,  Ncnetesta- 
mentliche  Zeitgeschichte,  iii.  :  Die  Juden  in  Rom,  pp.  383-392. 


PAUL    WRITES   TO   THE  ROMANS.  341 

holding  this  practice  because  the  custom  of  Sunday 
gatherings,  now  established  in  Churches  founded  by 
Paul/  had  not  as  yet  been  adopted  in  Eome.  "  The 
strong  party,"  who  treated  this  observance  as  a  supersti- 
tious survival,  were  loud  in  proclaiming  that  all  days 
alike  are  consecrated  to  God.^  Paul  exhorted  them  not 
to  condemn  their  brethren,  who  were  only  led  to  distin- 
guish days  after  this  fashion  by  the  hope  of  pleasing  the 
Lord. 

He  went  still  further  in  treating  of  the  matter  of  food  : 
he  besought  the  Romans,  as  he  had  done  with  the  Co- 
rinthians, to  abstain,  when  in  company  with  the  weak, 
from  meats  which  the  latter  regarded  as  unclean,  and 
thus  avoid  giving  scandal. 

"  I  know  and  am  persuaded,"  he  assured  them,  "  in  the 
Lord  Jesus,  that  nothing  is  in  itself  unclean  ...  ;  but  if 
by  eating  anything  you  grieve  your  brother,  you  are  no 
longer  conducting  yourself  according  to  Charity.  For  a 
mere  question  of  meats  do  not  destroy  him  for  whom  Christ 
died.  .  .  .  For  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  not  eating  and  drink- 
ing, but  righteousness,  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost."  ^ 

The  precise  nature  of  his  counsels  shows  that  there 
were  relations  of  an  intimate  and  constant  character 
uniting  Paul  and  the  Church  of  Rome  ;  evidently  all  that 
took  place  there  was  known  to  him,  and  in  this  there 
is  nothing  at  all  surprising  if  we  remember  that  the 
Apostle  could  count  many  faithful  disciples  among  the 
Christians  of  this  city  :  Priscilla  and  Aquila,  his  hosts 
both  at  Corinth  and  Ephesus,  were  there,  brought  back 
to  Rome  by  the  chances  of  their  wandering  life  ;  here 
was  "  the  meeting  of  brethren  which  gathered  in  their 
house  "  for  prayer  ;  here  were  "  Epœnetus,  his  cherished 
friend,  the  first  fruits  of  Asia,  Mary,  who  had  labored 
much  "  for  the  Church  of  Rome,  "Andronicus  and  Junius, 
his  fellow  countrymen  and  companions  in  captivity,  both 
highly  esteemed  by  the  Apostle  and   won  over   to   the 

1  1  Cor.  xvi.  2  ;  Acts  xx.  7.  3  Rom.  xiv.  14-17. 

2  Rom.  xiv.  5. 


342  SAINT  PAUL. 

faith  of  Christ  before  him,^  Amplias,  whom  he  loved 
with  peculiar  affection  in  the  Lord,  Urbanus,  his  fellow 
workman  in  the  Christ,  Stachys  the  well  beloved,  Apelles 
so  faithful  to  Christ,  the  family  of  Aristobulus,  his  fellow 
countryman  Herodion,  with  all  those  of  the  household  of 
Narcissus  ^  who  were  in  the  Lord,  Tryphena  and  Try- 
phosa,  zealous  in  the  Lord's  service,  his  dear  Persis, 
equally  ardent  in  good  works,  Eufus,  one  of  the  Lord's 
elect,  and  his  mother  whom  Paul  loved  as  dearly  as  his 
own,  Asyncritus,  Phlegon,  Hermas,  Patrobas,  Hermes, 
and  all  the  brethren  of  their  circle;  Philologas,  Julia, 
Nersea  and  her  sister,  Olympas,  and  the  numerous  saints 
who  dwelt  with  them."^ 

The  influence  which  the  presence  of  so  many  of  Paul's 
disciples  must  have  exercised  over  the  Eoman  commu- 
nity explains  in  part  the  tone  of  authority  which  prevails 
throughout  his  Letter.  This  assurance,  this  freedom  of 
speech,  would  lead  us  to  believe  that  at  this  period  Peter 
was  absent  from  the  Church  which  he  had  founded. 
Such  traces  as  we  have  of  his  arrival  and  sojourn  in 
Kome  cannot  be  referred  to  any  determinate  epoch  in  its 
history  ;  *  like  the  rest  of  the  Apostles,  apparently,  he  did 
not  identify  himself  with  any  single  body  of  Christians, 
but  travelled  here  and  there,  preaching,  creating  new 
congregations,  visiting  such  as  he  had  previously  estab- 
lished. Being  made  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  commu- 
nity at  Eome  was  now  left  to  itself,  and  deprived  of  its 

^  These  disciples,  who  were  of  the  same  race  as  the  Apostle  (tous 
avyy^vçls  jxov)  and  converted  before  he  was,  probably  were  amon^  the 
number  of  Roman  Jews  who  embraced  the  Faith  at  Pentecost  (Acts  ii.  10) 
and  during  the  annual  pilgrimages  thereafter.  They  became  acquainted 
with  S.  Paul  in  some  one  of  the  cities  where  he  was  preaching,  and  were 
so  deeply  attached  to  him  that  they  shared  one  of  his  many  imprisonments 
{èv  (pvXaKOLS  Trepiaa-OTepcos,  2  Cor.  xi.  23). 

2  When  Narcissus,  the  celebrated  freedman  of  Claudius,  was  put  to 
death  in  54,  his  numerous  slaves,  "the  household  of  Narcissus,"  probably 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Emperor.  Lightfoot  {Philippians,  p.  173) 
supposes  that  it  is  of  them  S.  Paul  is  speaking.  It  is  quite  possible,  how- 
ever, that  the  Narcissus  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans  may  have  been 
Nero's  freedman  of  that  name,  whom  Galba  had  executed  in  68  (Dio 
Cassius,  Ixiv.  3). 

3  Rom.  xvi.  3-15. 

*  See  Saint  Peter  and  the  First  Years  of  Christianitij ,  Chap.  XVIII. 


PAUL    WRITES   TO   THE  ROMANS.  343 

infallible  guide  for  some  years  perhaps,  Paul  felt  he 
might  address  these  Christians  as  freely  as  any  one  of 
his  own  congregations,  speaking  to  them,  not  as  their  ap- 
pointed pastor,  but  in  his  character  of  leader  and  Doctor 
of  the  Gentile  world.  It  was  upon  this  title  alone  he 
based  his  right  to  teach  in  territory  belonging  to  an- 
other; but  with  that  reserve  which  we  have  already 
noted,  —  a  guardedness  which  the  wording  of  his  Letter 
makes  clearly  manifest  :  "  I  have  written  this,  brethren, 
with  somewhat  too  much  of  freedom,  perhaps,  only  de- 
sirous of  bringing  to  your  minds  what  you  already 
know,  and  according  to  the  grace  which  God  has  be- 
stowed on  me,  that  I  should  be  the  minister  of  Christ 
among  the  Gentiles,  exercising  the  office  of  a  sacrificer 
in  the  Gospel  of  God,  that  the  oblation  of  the  Gentiles 
might  be  well  pleasing  unto  Him,  sanctified  by  the  Holy 
Ghost."  1 

Quite  different  from  any  of  his  other  letters,  written 
in  the  storm  and  stress  of  his  struggles,  this  one,  as  I 
have  said,  seems  to  have  been  pondered  over  and  elabo- 
rated at  length.  The  several  conclusions  at  the  end  of 
the  last  few  chapters  are  enough  to  show  that  the 
Apostle  returned  more  than  once  to  the  work  he  had 
looked  upon  as  finished,  each  time  adding  some  new 
details.^     Moved  to  one  of  these  revisions  by  a  premoni- 

1  Rom.  XV.  15,  16. 

2  This  intrepretation  seems  to  me  to  account  sufficiently  for  the  greet- 
ings which  follow  in  chapters  xv.  and  xvi.,  so  that  there  is  really  no  need 
to  resort  to  the  many  and  gratuitous  suppositions  which  this  fact  has 
suggested  in  the  minds  of  modern  critics.  The  most  ingenious  of  these 
hypotheses  is  set  forth  by  M.  Renan  in  these  words  :  "  We  conclude  that 
the  Epistle  to  the  Romans  was  meant  to  be  an  encyclical.  In  the  ripe 
maturity  of  his  genius,  S.  Paul  addresses  his  words  to  his  most  impor- 
tant Clmrches,  or  at  least  to  three  of  them,  and,  departing  from  his  usual 
custom,  addresses  it  to  the  Church  of  Rome  as  well.  The  four  endings 
(occurring  at  verses  xv.  33,  xvi.  20,  xvi.  24,  and  xvi.  27)  are  the  closing 
words  of  the  several  copies  despatched.  When  a  collection  of  his  Epis- 
tles came  to  be  made,  the  copy  addressed  to  the  Church  of  Rome  was 
taken  as  being  the  best  to  found  the  version  on  ;  but  in  order  not  to  lose 
a  word  of  his,  at  the  end  of  the  text  as  they  had  it  the  editors  appended 
the  various  readings,  and  notably  the  different  endings  to  be  found  in  the 
copies  which  they  rejected."  Saint  Paul,  Introduction,  p.  Ixxii.  In  Père 
Cornely's  Introductio  Specialis  in  Singnlos  Nov)  Test.  Lihros  (pp.  479-482), 
the  reader  will  find  a  very  clear  refutation  of  these  various  conjectures. 


344  SAINT  PAUL. 

tion  that  the  Jews  would  shortly  transfer  to  Eome  the 
plan  of  campaign  which  they  were  carrying  out  all  over 
Asia  Minor,  he  writes  as  follows  :  — 

"  Brethren,  keep  your  eyes  upon  those  men  who  cause 
divisions  and  occasions  of  falling  by  means  of  teachings 
which  are  not  according  to  the  doctrine  you  have  learned. 
Keep  away  from  all  such  ;  for  men  of  this  stamp  do  not 
serve  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  but  their  own  belly,^  and  by 
fair  words  and  fine  language  they  seduce  the  hearts  of  the 
guileless.  ...  Be  wise  for  good,  but  innocent  in  respect  of 
evil,  and  the  God  of  peace  shall  bruise  Satan  under  your 
feet,  full  speedily."  ^ 

Thrice  already  had  the  Apostle  taken  the  pen  into  his 
own  hand,  that  he  might  add  certain  salutations  of  peace 
and  heavenly  grace  to  serve  as  his  seal  to  the  letter.^ 
His  last  and  definitive  signature  took  the  form  of  this 
beautiful  doxology  :  — 

"  Unto  Him  who  is  mighty  to  keep  you  steadfast  in  my 
Gospel  and  in  the  teachings  of  Jesus  Christ  Whom  I 
preach  according  to  the  revelation  of  the  Mystery  whichy 
though  it  remained  concealed  unto  all  the  ages  of  old,  is 
now  unveiled,  hy  means  of  the  Oracles  and  the  Prophets, 
hy  command  of  the  Eternal  God,  —  yea,  which  has  come  to 
the  knowledge  of  all  peoples  that  they  might  ohey  the 
Faith,  —  unto  God,  Who  alone  is  wise,  he  honor  and  glory 
through  Jesus  Christ  all  ages  without  end.     Amen.''  * 

A  Christian  woman  named  Phoebe  —  a  Deaconess  of 
Kenchraea,  one  of  the  Corinthian  harbors  —  happened  to 
be  called  to  Eome  on  personal  business.  Paul  intrusted 
his  Letter  to  her,  recommending  at  the  same  time  to  his 
Eoman  friends  that  they  assist  her  in  any  way  possible, 
in  return  for  the  large  charity  she  had  always  displayed 
toward  the  brethren,  and  most  especially  toward  himself.^ 

1  This  passion  for  luxury  and  dissipation  must  have  been  very  common 
among  the  Judaizers,  for  S.  Paul  rebukes  them  for  it  frequently.  2  Cor. 
xi.  20;  Pliilip.  iii.  19;  Tit.  i.  12. 

2  Rom.  xvi.  17-20.  4  Rom.  xvi.  25-27. 

3  Rom.  XV.  33  ;  xvi.  20,  24.  ^  Rom.  xvi.  1,  2. 


PAUL    WRITES  TO   THE  ROMANS,  345 

This  humble  sister  received  the  message  confided  to  her 
with  deep  respect,  yet,  we  may  feel  sure,  without  ever 
imagining  that  she  held  in  her  hand  one  of  those  writ- 
ings which  the  world  will  meditate  upon  until  the  end 
of  time.  To  no  sage,  to  no  philosopher,  to  no  school 
of  human  wisdom,  indeed,  will  it  ever  be  given  to  cast 
such  resplendent  light  on  that  which  it  is  most  needful 
for  us  to  know  here  below  :  the  moral  conduct  of  life, 
the  nature  of  evil  and  of  man,  his  struggles  and  his 
destiny,  most  of  all  his  supernatural  union  with  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

THE   RETURN   TO   JERUSALEM. 

The  thoughts  Paul  had  been  expressing  in  his  letters 
to  the  Galatians  and  Romans  were  but  the  echo  of  his 
speeches  and  conversations  from  day  to  day.  In  the 
course  of  his  three  months'  stay  in  Achaia,  all  Corinth 
had  heard  him  repeat  once  and  again  that  they  had  done 
with  Mosaism,!  that  henceforth  its  "  Observances  "  were 
to  be  regarded  as  merely  foreshadowings  of  the  reality 
embodied  in  the  new  Faith.*-^  In  them  Israel  unquestion- 
ably possessed  the  first  elements  of  the  truth,  but  after 
a  stammering  fashion,  like  children  who  can  but  poorly 
grasp  the  meaning  of  what  their  lips  are  uttering  ;  ^  no 
moral  strength,  no  support  for  the  soul,  was  to  be  drawn 
from  these  superannuated  practices.  The  Jews,  always 
keen  to  scent  the  enemy,  were  among  the  first  to  be  in- 
formed of  the  bold  and  decisive  front  Paul  was  moved 
to  assume  during  this  second  visit  to  their  city.  As  be- 
tween him  and  their  faith  they  realized  that  it  was  to  be 
war  to  the  death  ;  either  he  or  they  must  relinquish  the 
field  ;  with  one  voice  they  voted  that  the  Apostle  must 
be  the  one  doomed  to  disappear,  and  that  without  delay. 
Their  unfortunate  experience  with  Gallic  had  made  them 
heartily  sick  of  any  attempts  at  sedition;*  wherever 
Roman  power  prevailed,  they  saw  that  Paul  was  assured 

1  Gal.  iv.  9-11  ;  v.  1-6;  Rom.  iii.  20;  ix.  31-33;  x.  21  ;  xi.  1-10. 

2  1  Cor.  X.  6-1 L 

3  Gal.  iv.  3,  9  :  to  aroix^la  tqv  Kicr/xov  .  .  •  àa-devi)  koI  irrccxà  aroixeîa, 
i.  e.  the  first  principles,  the  elements  of  an  instruction  more  earthly  and 
worldly  than  spiritual  ;  evidently  the  allusion  is  to  the  gross  and  carnal 
observances  and  precepts  of  Mosaism.     Cf.  Colos.  ii.  8,  20. 

4  Acts  xviii.  12-17. 


THE  RETURN    TO  JERUSALEM.  347 

of  obtaining  justice  and  protection.  But  they  were  aware 
of  his  plan  of  embarking  shortly,  and  passing  directly 
from  Corinth  to  Palestine  ;  in  this,  at  last,  they  saw  an 
opportunity  of  using  their  advantages.^  The  merchant 
marine  of  those  days  was  largely  dependent  on  the  patron- 
age of  courtiers,  and  among  the  latter  the  Jewish  com- 
munity numbered  many  wealthy  representatives  ;  hence 
it  was  only  a  question  of  bribing  some  unscrupulous  ship 
captain  and  commissioning  him  to  accomplish  a  crime 
which  the  sea  would  soon  swallow  up  in  oblivion.  Their 
plans  were  speedily  laid. 

Fortunately  Paul  got  warning  of  it,  for  the  apparent 
calm  reigning  among  the  Israelites  of  Corinth  had  made 
him  lose  sight  of  his  sworn  foes  ;  the  danger  his  atten- 
tion was  fixed  on  lay  farther  off  as  yet.  "  I  do  beseech 
you,  brethren,"  he  wrote  to  the  Romans,  "  help  me  in  my 
combats  with  your  prayers  to  God  in  my  behalf,  that  I 
may  be  delivered  from  the  unbelieving  who  are  in  Judea, 
and  that  the  saints  of  Jerusalem  may  receive  favorably 
the  service  which  I  am  rendering  them."^  But  now, 
constrained  to  be  on  his  guard  every  moment  against  the 
present  enemy,  he  felt  obliged  to  give  up  taking  the 
direct  passage,  which  would  have  made  it  possible  for 
him  to  be  in  Jerusalem  for  the  Passover,  and  in  its  stead 
to  make  once  more  the  long  circuit  about  the  Archi- 
pelago. The  land  routes  under  the  surveillance  of  Roman 
troops  were  the  safest  under  the  circumstances.  For  the 
rest  Paul  was  not  to  travel  alone  :  the  disciples  who  came 
with  him  to  Corinth  were  under  instructions  to  accom- 
pany him.  These  were,  it  will  be  remembered,  Timothy 
and  the  delegates  appointed  to  present  the  offerings  in 
the  name  of  their  respective  Churches,  —  Sopater  for 
Berœa,  Aristarchus  and  Secundus  for  Thessalonica,  Caius 
for  Derbë,  Tychicus  and  Trophimus  for  Asia.^ 

All  set  out  at  the  same  time  as  did  the  Apostle,  accom- 
panying him  as  far  as  Macedonia.  At  some  point  along 
the  coast  an  opportunity  presented  itself  of  passing  over 

1  Acts  XX.  3.  2  Rom.  xv.  30,  31. 

^  Acts  XX.  4. 


348  SAINT  PAUL, 

to  the  opposite  shores  of  Asia.  Paul  profited  by  it,  but 
only  for  his  fellow  travellers  :  he  bade  them  precede  him, 
only  cautioning  them  to  await  his  arrival  at  Troas.^  As 
for  himself,  he  meant  to  make  for  Philippi,  in  the  hope 
of  procuring  the  aid  necessary  if  he  would  complete  his 
journey  in  security.  Doubtless  in  the  harbor  of  Thessa- 
lonica  he  might  have  discovered  some  vessel  soon  to  sail 
for  Syria  ;  but  here,  too,  the  Jews  were  powerful,  and  he 
must  needs  expect  to  meet  the  same  animosity  and  the 
same  dangers  as  just  now  in  Corinth.  Philippi,  on  the 
contrary,  remained  as  ever  the  most  devoted  and  self- 
sacrificing  of  the  Churches  founded  by  him.  The  tempest 
of  hatred  which  the  Jews  of  the  great  maritime  centres 
had  stirred  up  against  him  had  not  reached  Neapolis, 
the  old  port  of  this  city.  What  place  would  be  more 
likely  to  afford  him  an  escape  from  the  perils  with  which 
his  journeyings  by  sea  were  now  beginning  to  be  beset? 

In  these  parts  Paul  again  encountered  Luke  the  Evan- 
gelist, who  from  Corinth,  whither  he  went  merely  to 
accompany  Titus,  had  made  all  haste  to  return  to  Philippi. 
For  the  past  six  years  this  disciple  had  been  telling  the 
Glad  Tidings  to  the  Christian  congregations  of  this  region. 
The  praise  his  preaching  had  won  for  him  everywhere 
aroused  Paul's  attention.^  Luke's  peculiar  genius,  more 
Greek  than  Oriental,  his  refined  and  transparent  style, 
were  what  would  be  most  requisite  for  the  Apostolic 
work  in  the  West  ;  on  the  other  hand,  his  knowledge  of 
medicine  ^  and  navigation  made  him  an  invaluable  com- 
panion for  those  far  away  missions  in  the  Mediterranean. 
Paul  therefore  decided  to  take  him  with  him,  and  thus  at 
the  same  time,  though  without  foreseeing  it,  he  afforded 
the  author  of  the  Acts  an  opportunity  of  investing  his 
narrative  of  their  journeyings  as  far  as  Rome  with  a 
precision,  a  charm  of  detail,  which  is  beyond  all  praise. 

It  was  now  Paschal-tide  and  it  was  in  Philippi  that 
the  Apostle  spent  the  whole  week  wherein  the  Jews  eat 
their  azym  bread,*  —  not  that  he  himself  observed  this 

1  Acts  XX.  5.  ^  Colos.  iv.  14. 

2  2  Cor.  viii.  18.  *  Acts  xx.  6. 


THE  RETURN  TO  JERUSALEM.  349 

practice,  we  may  be  assured,  for,  deeming  the  Mosaical 
Observances  abrogated,  he  could  not  feel  bound  by  them, 
especially  in  a  Church  made  up  for  the  most  part  of  con- 
verted Pagans.  The  high  festival  v^hich  he  celebrated 
with  the  brethren  at  Philippi  was  the  same  solemnity 
which  in  our  worship  has  replaced  the  Passover  of  Israel, 
—  Easter,  that  memorial  of  the  Passion  and  Eesurrection 
of  Jesus.  "  The  Christ,"  he  had  once  said  to  the  Corin- 
thians on  a  like  occasion,  "  the  Christ,  our  Paschal  Lamb, 
has  been  immolated  ;  let  us  celebrate  this  Feast,  not  with 
the  old  leaven,  the  leaven  of  malice  and  corruption,  but 
with  unleavened  loaves  of  sincerity  and  truth."  ^ 

Do  these  eight  days  which  the  Apostle  passed  in 
Philippi  indicate  that  even  then  the  octave  of  Paschal- 
tide,  a  rite  of  Jewish  origin,  was  observed  by  Christian 
congregations  ?  It  would  be  rash  to  assert  this  positively, 
since  Paul's  tarrying  here  is  to  be  explained  very  natu- 
rally by  the  difficulty  of  finding  at  once  what  he  had 
come  thither  to  seek.  Despite  the  diligence  displayed 
by  his  friends  in  Philippi,  no  ship  about  to  set  sail 
for  Judea  could  be  discovered  in  the  harbor.  The  best 
opportunity  was  that  offered  by  a  vessel  which  was  bound 
for  the  southern  coasts  of  Asia  Minor,  intending  to  make 
numerous  stops  by  the  way,  at  Troas  especially,  then  at 
Miletus.2  The  Apostle,  in  his  haste  to  depart,  accepted 
even  this  slow  means  of  carriage,  relying  on  God's  aid 
for  means  to  complete  the  voyage  from  the  Asiatic  coast 
to  that  of  Palestine. 

At  the  outset  of  the  voyage  everything  went  against 
the  Apostle's  eagerness  to  push  onward  toward  his  goal. 
The  bark,  on  emerging  from  the  Bay  of  Thasos,  was  as- 

1  1  Cor.  V.  7,  8. 

2  The  slowness  of  the  voyage,  the  long  stoppages  at  Troas  and  Miletus, 
just  when  Paul  was  most  eager  to  reach  Jerusalem,  all  go  to  show  that  the 
vessel,  though  chartered  by  the  Apostle,  was  not  under  his  orders.  Evi- 
dently the  Apostle  Avas  obliged  to  wait  at  certain  ports  for  the  seamen  to 
unload  and  load  again  their  cargo.  However,  there  must  have  been  some 
clause  in  the  contract  which  authorized  him  to  land  where  he  saw  fit,  for 
S.  Luke  tells  us  that  the  fact  of  their  passing  Ephesus  without  stopping 
was  due  to  S.  Paul's  orders,  for  he  "  hastened  the  journey,  in  order  to 
reach  Jerusalem,  if  possible,  by  Pentecost  day."    Acts  xx.  16. 


350  SAINT  PAUL. 

sailed  by  head  winds,  and  in  tacking  against  them  re- 
quired five  days  to  make  Troas,  instead  of  two,  which 
ordinarily  sufficed.^  Once  anchored  in  that  port,  there 
was  another  and  still  longer  delay  ;  in  the  interest  of  his 
traffic  the  captain  kept  the  boat  waiting  seven  days  in 
all.^  But  Paul  had  the  consolation  while  here,  not  only 
of  rejoining  his  fellow  voyagers,  but  of  visiting  the  lit- 
tle Church  which  he  had  quitted  so  suddenly  on  the  oc- 
casion of  his  last  crossing  over  into  Macedonia.  The 
"  doors  "  ^  which  then  were  opening  so  wide  to  welcome 
the  Good  News  had  not  since  been  closed  against  it  ;  and 
in  the  course  of  this  week  Paul  succeeded  in  bringing  the 
whole  truth  of  the  Gospel  within  their  gates.  All  lis- 
tened to  him  gladly,  and  were  fired  with  zeal  by  his 
words  ;  an  incident  raised  the  popular  feeling  to  a  very 
high  pitch. 

It  occurred  on  the  eve  of  the  Apostle's  departure,  when 
the  setting  sun  had  just  marked  the  close  of  the  Jewish 
Sabbath.  In  the  twilight  hours  of  that  day,  which 
ushered  in  the  Christian  Sunday,*  the  disciples  began  to 
gather,  according  to  their  custom,  for  the  Breaking  of  the 
Eucharistie  Bread,  and  this  evening  they  were  more  numer- 
ous than  usual,  for  it  had  been  announced  that  on  the 
morrow  Paul  was  to  depart.  The  meeting-place  was  one 
of  those  upper  chambers  ^  which  the  ancients  were  fond  of 

1  Acts  xvi.  11.  2  ^cts  XX.  6. 

^  'EA0à)i/  8è  f:ls  r-^v  TpcooSa  .  .  .  kul  dvpas  jlloi  àpecijyfiévrjs  èv  Kvpî^. 
2  Cor.  ii.  12. 

^  This  liturgical  gathering  did  not  take  place  on  either  Sunday  or 
Monday  evening,  for,  the  Acts  tells  us,  "  the  disciples  met  together  on  the 
First  Day  of  the  week"  (xx.  7)  ;  now,  according  to  the  Jewish  mode  of 
reckoning  as  used  in  our  holy  books,  this  First  Day  began  with  Saturday 
evening,  and  ended  twenty-four  hours  later,  that  is,  Sunday  evening  at 
six  o'clock. 

^  'Ev  rta  virepcfœ.  Acts  xx.  8.  "ttnpcfov,  cœnaculum,  according  to 
Varron's  etymology  ("Ubi  cœnabant,  cœnaculum  vocitabant"),  was,  origi- 
nally, any  large  room  used  as  a  dining  hall.  In  Rome,  this  name  was 
given  to  the  entire  upper  story  of  a  dwelling,  to  which  access  was  had  by 
an  outer  staircase  separated  from  the  main  building.  These  apartments 
were  often  let  for  a  good  price  by  the  owner  or  principal  tenant.  In  the 
East,  these  upper  halls  were  still  used  as  of  old,  and  afforded  room  for  their 
many  gatherings.  (Varron,  Lmg.  Lat.,  v.  162;  Livy,  xxxix.  14;  Horace, 
/  Epist.,  i.  91  ;  Suetonius,    Vitetlins,  7.)     These  rooms  were  to  be  found 


THE  RETURN  TO  JERUSALEM.  351 

erecting  on  the  flat  roofs  of  their  houses.  As  the  room 
grew  warmer  from  the  heat  of  the  many  lamps,  the  win- 
dows ^  were  opened  to  the  cool  night  air.  On  the  sill  of 
one  of  them  a  young  man  named  Eutychus  ^  had  seated 
himself  ;  though  tired  out,  doubtless,  after  his  day's  toil, 
he  trusted  to  the  sea  breeze  to  keep  him  awake.  Always 
it  was  one  of  the  hardest  trials  for  Paul  to  part  with  those 
he  loved,  and  this  time  he  prolonged  his  counsels  and  in- 
structions till  midnight.  He  was  still  speaking,  when  a 
loud  outcry  broke  in  upon  his  words  ;  Eutychus,  succumb- 
ing to  his  need  of  sleep,  had  fallen  from  the  third  story  to 
the  ground.^     He  was  picked  up  dead. 

Paul  had  hastened  down  the  stairway  amid  the  confu- 
sion :  as  he  caught  sight  of  the  lifeless  body,  the  thought 
of  Elias  and  Eliseus  resuscitating  the  sons  of  their  bene- 
factors,^ darted  through  his  mind,  —  as  Christ's  Apostle, 
he  was  invested  with  the  same  power,  the  same  breath 
of  Life.  Like  those  old  Prophets,  he  stretched  himself 
upon  the  body  of  Eutychus,  and  held  him  in  a  warm 
embrace. 

"  Be  not  troubled,"  was  all  he  said,  "  his  soul  is  in 
him."  Then,  without  another  glance  at  the  miracle  just 
worked,  he  ascended  again  to  the  upper  chamber. 

The  hour  sacred  to  the  Eucharistie  Sacrifice  had  ar- 
rived ;  he  broke  the  Bread  of  Life  to  this  faithful  flock, 
then,  seating  himself  once  more  with  them  at  the  ban- 
queting board  of  the  Agape,  he  proceeded  with  his  in- 
structions. It  was  not  till  the  dawning  of  the  Sunday 
morn  that  he  rose  with  his  fellow  travellers,  the  latter  to 
take  ship  at  once,  he  to  set  out  for  Assos,^  where  he  had 

in  Rome  only  at  the  top  of  large  buildings  used  for  funeral  purposes  : 
"  cubiculum  superiorem  ad  confrequentandam  memoriam  quiescentium." 
Giornale  degli  Scavi,  1869,  i.  242. 

1  These  windows  were  closed  with  shutters.  Oxià.,  Amorum,i.  \.  3; 
Juvenal,  ix.  104. 

2  This  name  was  given  to  slaves  or  freedmen. 

^  Houses  three  stories  in  height  were  to  be  found  in  Rome  some  two 
centuries  before  the  Christian  era. 

4  3  Kings  xvii.  17-24  ;  4  Kings  iv.  18-37. 

5  Assos,  also  called  ApoUonia  (Pliny,  Hist.  Nat.,  v.  32),  was  situated 
on  the  shores  of  the  gulf  of  Adramyttium,  opposite  Lesbos.     The  abrupt 


352  SAINT  PAUL. 

arranged  to  meet  them,  for  he  had  resolved  to  go  on  foot 
as  far  as  that  port.  From  the  sequel,  as  it  reads  in  the 
Acts,  it  would  seem  that  Paul  was  no  longer  present  in 
the  upper  chamber  at  Troas  when  Eutychus  entered  there 
again,  well  and  sound.  It  was  no  small  consolation  to 
this  Church  not  only  to  see  their  friend  with  them  once 
more,  but,  more  than  this,  to  feel  that  in  this  their 
brother  restored  to  life  in  their  presence  they  possessed 
the  most  striking  token  of  the  Apostolic  power  of  their 
founder. 

But  what  prompted  Paul  to  separate  himself  from  his 
companions  in  this  instance,  when,  as  we  know,  loneli- 
ness was  so  much  dreaded  by  him  ?  It  may  have  been 
some  secret  mission  to  be  performed  in  the  interval,  or 
perhaps,  here  at  Troas  as  elsewhere,  there  were  Jewish 
plotters  to  be  thrown  off  the  scent.  Whatever  it  may 
have  been,  there  were  but  about  twenty-four  miles  to  be 
covered  before  reaching  Assos  :  he  made  the  distance 
with  all  speed,  and  along  a  fine  highroad,  passing  beneath 
the  oak  groves  which  overshadow  the  watercourses  of 
Mount  Ida. 

That  night  his  vessel  probably  anchored  at  Mitylene/ 
the  isle  of  Sappho  and  the  ^olian  songsters.  With  every 
island  and  every  shady  cove  in  this  coast  rising  from  the 
blue  waters,  some  sonorous  name  of  old  recalls  to  the 
memory  of  the  modern  traveller  whole  ages  rich  in  glori- 
ous deeds  and  poetic  achievements.  On  the  next  day, 
the  little  ship,  leaving  Lesbos  to  the  windward,  gave  a 
wide  berth  to  Smyrna,  and  entered  the  strait  which  sepa- 
rates Chios  from   the   promontory  of   Clazomenes;   the 

descent  of  the  shore  from  the  upper  town  to  the  beach  suggested  to  the 
mind  of  the  musician  Stratonicus  this  play  on  Homer's  Hues  {Iliad  \i.  143)  : 

"Aaaoy  W,   &s  kçv  Qaacrov  oXedpov  irçipad'  'iKrjai, 
"  To  Assos  go,  if  thou  wouldst  speedily  perish,"  etc. 

See  Strabo,  xiii.  i.  57,  and  Athenaeus,  viii.  352.  The  ruins  are  still  on  the 
rocky  height,  and  so  well  preserved  are  they  that  nowhere  else  is  it  possible 
to  obtain  a  more  correct  or  fuller  idea  of  what  the  Grecian  cities  once  were. 
1  Mitylenë  (now  called  Mytilini  or  Castro)  is  the  capital  of  Lesbos. 
Situated  on  the  eastern  coast  of  the  island,  it  aÉords  shelter  to  vessels  from 
the  northwesterly  winds. 


THE  RETURN  TO  JERUSALEM.  353 

anchor  was  cast  for  the  night  on  the  rugged  banks  of 
this  island,  the  paradise  of  the  Archipelago.^  On  the  fol- 
lowing day,  the  shores  of  Ionia,  the  bay  in  which  the 
Cayster  empties  its  waters,  and  finally  Ephesus,  came  in 
sight.  But  Paul  would  not  tarry  there.  All  his  faithful 
followers  in  town,  as  well  as  the  Christians  living  in  the 
suburbs,  would  have  hurried  out  to  greet  him  and  en- 
deavor to  force  him  to  stay  some  time  with  them  ;  he 
was  too  anxious  to  celebrate  Pentecost  in  Jerusalem,  and 
there  were  hardly  twenty-five  days  left  him  to  make  the 
journey.  They  therefore  steered  straight  for  the  narrow 
channel  which  divides  the  isle  of  Samos  from  the  main- 
land. Their  bark  did  no  more  than  just  touch  at  the 
city  of  that  name,^  and  soon  reached  the  roadstead  of 
Trogyllium  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Mycale,  where  they 
were  to  spend  the  night.  A  few  hours'  run  on  the  next 
morning  brought  them  into  the  bay  into  which  the 
Meander  empties,  where  they  landed,  opposite  the  river's 
outlet,  at  Miletus.'^ 

This  was  the  point  at  which  the  boat  was  to  make  its 
longest  stop  after  Troas.  Paul  must  needs  resign  him- 
self to  this  fresh  delay  ;  but  he  profited  by  it  to  assure 
his  Ephesian  friends  that,  if  he  passed  by  their  city  with- 
out visiting  them,  it  was  neither  from  forgetfulness  nor 
lack  of  deep  affection.  As  soon  as  he  got  on  shore  he 
sent  word  to  the  Elders  of  that  Church,  bidding  them 
come  thither  to  him.    All  hastened  to  obey  the  summons, 

1  It  owes  all  its  fame  to  the  genius  of  its  inhabitants,  since  its  soil  has 
always  been  rocky  {TranTaXôçorcra,  Homeric  Hijmn,  quoted  by  Thucydides, 
iii.  104).  The  industry  of  these  islanders,  celebrated  all  over  the  Mediter- 
ranean, has  transformed  it  into  a  garden  abounding  in  fruits  of  all 
varieties. 

2  The  modern  Tigani  {The  Pan),  so  called  because  of  the  circular 
form  of  its  harbor. 

3  A  wretched  hamlet  (Palatia)  marks  the  spot  where  this  town  once 
stood,  —  a  town  so  powerful  in  its  day  that  it  could  boast  of  four  harbors, 
one  of  them  being  reserved  for  men  of  war  (Strabo,  xiv.  i.  6).  The 
Meander  was  as  celebrated  for  alluvial  deposits  as  for  the  windings  of  its 
stream.  The  deposits  left  by  the  river  have,  in  our  time  raised  a  com- 
plete barrier  between  the  sea  and  the  ruins  of  this  glorious  city,  the  home 
of  Thaïes  and  Anaximander.  Even  when  Paul  landed  there,  it  was  but  a 
port  of  secondary  importance. 

23 


354  SAINT  PAUL. 

and  gathered  around  the  Apostle  in  some  one  of  the  many 
inns  for  seamen  along  the  wharves  of  Miletus.  On  the 
morning  set  for  his  departure,  Paul  called  them  about 
him  and  spoke  these  touching  words  of  farewell  :  — 

"  From  the  day  that  I  came  into  Asia,  you  know  how 
I  have  borne  myself  toward  you  during  the  whole  time, 
I  have  served  the  Lord  in  all  lowliness,  amid  the  tears 
and  trials  which  befell  me  through  the  plotting  of  the 
Jews  against  me.  I  have  concealed  from  you  nothing 
whatever  that  could  be  profitable  to  you  ;  nor  did  any- 
thing hinder  me  from  declaring  them  to  you,  or  from 
instructing  you  publicly  and  in  private,  preaching  to  the 
Jews  as  well  as  to  the  Gentiles  Eepentance  towards  God 
and  Faith  in  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  And  behold  now, 
bound  in  spirit,^  I  am  going  up  to  Jerusalem,  and  I  know 
not  what  shall  happen  to  me  there,  save  that  from  town 
to  town  the  Holy  Spirit  is  making  me  aware  that  chains 
and  afflictions  are  awaiting  me.  But  I  take  no  account 
of  my  life  ;  I  am  ready  to  sacrifice  this  provided  that  I 
finish  my  course,  and  that  I  may  fulfil  the  mission  I 
have  received  from  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  testify  to  the 
Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God. 

"  I  know  that  you  shall  nevermore  see  my  face,  —  all 
ye  among  whom  I  have  gone  back  and  forth  preaching 
the  Kingdom  of  God.  Wherefore  I  do  protest  this  day 
that  I  am  clear  from  the  blood  of  all,  for  I  have  neglected 
nothing  whereby  I  might  declare  unto  you  the  whole 
will  of  God.  Take  heed,  therefore,  unto  yourselves,  and 
to  all  the  flock  in  whose  midst  the  Holy  Ghost  has  set 
you  as  overseers  ;  be  ye  true  shepherds  of  the  Church  of 
God,^  which  He  purchased  with  His  Blood.  For  I  know 
that,  after  my  departure,  there  shall  rise  ravenous  wolves 
among  you,  nor  shall  they  spare  the  flock  ;    from  your 

1  In  other  words,  the  Spirit  of  God  is  dominating,  overmastering  my 
own  spirit,  bearing  it  whither  it  lists,  like  a  captive  in  fetters. 

2  Instead  of  the  word  God  (0eoi!),the  MSS.  A,  C,  D,  and  E  read  Lord 
(Kvpiov).  I  prefer  the  reading  @eov,  as  given  in  the  MSS.  of  the  Vatican 
and  Sinai",  as  well  as  in  the  Vulgate  and  Syriac  Versions,  since  it  is  one  of 
S.  Paul's  favorite  expressions.  In  the  Epistles  he  uses  the  expression 
éKK\7](r(a  rod  ®€0v  thirteen  times,  but  never  once  èKK\i)(Tia  rod  Kvpiov. 


THE  RETURN  TO  JERUSALEM.  355 

own  number  will  men  arise  publishing  perverse  doctrines, 
that  they  may  draw  away  the  disciples  after  them. 
Therefore  be  watchful,  remembering  how,  for  the  space 
of  three  years,  I  ceased  not  night  and  day  to  warn  every 
one  of  you  with  tears.  I  have  not  coveted  either  silver 
or  gold  or  raiment  from  any  one  of  you  ;  and  as  you 
know  yourselves,  these  hands  which  you  see  have  fur- 
nished the  necessities  of  life  for  me  and  my  companions. 
I  have  shown  forth  in  all  I  did,  that  it  behooves  us,  by 
toiling  after  this  manner,  to  aid  the  needy  and  to  be 
mindful  of  that  saying  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  '  There  is  more 
happiness  in  giving  than  receiving.'  "  ^ 

Thereupon  Paul  fell  on  his  knees  and  prayed  with  the 
Elders  of  Ephesus.  All  eyes  were  wet  with  tears,  for 
those  wor'ds,  "  You  shall  nevermore  see  my  face,"  pierced 
them  to  the  heart.  One  after  another  they  fell  on  the 
Apostle's  neck,  and  clasped  him  in  their  embrace.  The 
hour  fixed  for  the  departure  had  come  ;  they  followed 
Paul  to  the  water's  edge,  and  there  it  was  necessary  "  to 
tear  ourselves  away  from  them,"  says  Saint  Luke.^ 

The  little  bark  was  soon  out  of  sight  of  these  tearful 
watchers  on  the  pier,  for  a  good  wind  was  blowing  in  the 
direction  of  Cos.  The  anchorage  afforded  by  this  island 
has  made  it  always  a  much  frequented  spot,^  and  here 
the  sailors  furled  the  sails  for  the  night.  The  following 
day  was  spent  in  rounding  the  Point  of  Cnidus,  and 
finally   reaching  Ehodes.^     On  the  morning  of  the  day 

1  This  is  one  of  the  few  sayings  of  Our  Lord  which  have  come  down  to 
us  from  another  source  than  the  Gospels. 

2  Acts  xxi.  i. 

3  In  ancient  times,  it  exported  wines  and  merchandise  which  were 
famed  throughout  all  Italy.  ("  Amphorae  Co»,"  Pliny,  Hist.  Nat.,  xiv.  10  ; 
"Coae  purpuras."  Horace,  IV  Od.  xiii.)  Its  wines  and  fruits  still  con- 
tinue to  attract  a  goodly  number  of  trading  vessels  thither  ;  in  fact,  no 
port  along  the  Archipelago  is  more  frequented. 

*  Situated  at  the  very  angle  of  Asia  Minor,  Rhodes  offers  a  natural 
stopping-place  for  ships  that  coast  along  the  peninsula.  The  beauty  of 
the  isle,  however,  is  quite  as  potent  an  attraction  as  its  favored  site. 
The  ancients  vied  with  one  another  in  praising  the  charms  of  its  climate  ; 
for  them  it  was  "  the  Land  of  Roses  "  (Rhodes,  from  the  Greek  ^6Sov), 
"  The  Bride  of  the  Sun."  "  Not  a  day  passes,"  says  Pliny,  "  without  his 
luminous  rays  piercing  the  clouds."     {Hist.  Nat.,  ii.  62.) 


356  SAINT  PAUL. 

after,  the  snow-topped  peaks  along  the  Lycian  coast 
began  to  rise  to  the  northward  ;  they  were  now  heading 
for  the  seven  capes  which  push  out  from  the  green  clad 
slopes  of  the  Cragus  into  the  sea  ;  then,  after  skirting  by 
these  cliffs  and  the  mouths  of  the  Xanthus,  they  could 
distinguisli  Patara,  in  the  midst  of  the  palm  trees  which 
almost  envelop  it,  with  its  Temple  of  Apollo,  and  its 
Theatre  carved  from  the  rock.^  This  was  one  of  the 
stopping-places  for  their  vessel,  and  they  went  on  shore. 

In  this  port  God  provided  them  with  an  opportunity 
of  shortening  the  voyage,  for  there  was  a  vessel  here 
bound  for  the  Phoenician  coast  ;  they  were  hardly  well 
landed,  when  they  went  aboard  this  other  ship  and  were 
again  on  the  open  sea.^  Ordinarily  four  days  would  suf- 
fice to  make  this  run,^  and  in  this  case  there  seem  to 
have  been  no  mishaps.  "  We  made  out  Cyprus,"  Saint 
Luke  says,  "  passing  it  to  larboard,  then,  continuing  our 
course  toward  Syria,  we  came  to  Tyre,  where  the  vessel 
was  to  discharge  its  merchandise."  ^ 

This  was  a  good  week's  work  for  all  hands,  and  Paul 
employed  the  time  in  visiting  the  brethren  in  this  city, 
which  could  boast  of  a  Christian  congregation  from  the 
earliest  days,  since  this  Church  had  owed  its  origin  to 
the  dispersal  of  the  disciples  at  the  time  of  Stephen's 
death.^  The  Apostle  had  once  passed  through  the  town, 
some  six  years  previously,  when  on  his  way  from  Antioch 
to  attend  the  Assembly  of  Jerusalem,  and,  from  the  joy 
displayed  by  the  brethren  when  he  related  the  history  of 
the  conversions  that  had  taken  place  among  the  Gentiles,^ 
he  had  already  been  made  to  feel  that  this  community 

1  Although  the  city  of  Xanthus  was  connected  with  the  sea  by  the 
river  of  the  same  name,  Patara  was  the  real  harbor.  Appianus,  De 
Bell  IS  Civilibus,  iv.  81. 

-  On  that  same  day,  probably;  for  S.  Luke  is  so  wonderfully  exact  in 
his  narrative  that  he  never  fails  to  use  one  of  the  phrases  rrj  ciriovar),  t^ 
èrépa,  ttj  èxofxévrj,  when  the  departure  did  not  take  place  till  the  morrow 
or  later. 

3  The  distance  is  about  450  Roman  miles,  and  the  journey  by  ship 
across  the  sea,  with  favorable  winds,  would  be  at  the  rate  of  125  miles  per 
day  of  24  hours. 

*   Acts  xxi.  3.  s  Acts  xi.  19.  ®  Acts  xv.  3. 


THE  RETURN  TO  JERUSALEM.  357 

was  heart  and  soul  in  sympathy  with  him.  Such  senti- 
ments, foreign  as  they  were  to  most  Jews  that  embraced 
the  Faith,  would  seem  to  imply  that  at  least  the  majority 
of  these  Christians  had  been  converted  from  Heathendom. 
Evidently  they  were  living  without  any  connection  with 
the  Synagogue,  and  but  little  known  in  the  city,  for  the 
travellers  were  forced  to  search  for  them  ^  in  the  thickly 
populated  districts  of  the  town. 

The  mournful  premonitions  which  from  town  to  town 
had  been  pursuing  Paul,  manifested  themselves  more 
threateningly  than  ever  here,  when  he  took  part  in 
divine  service  at  Tyre.  In  the  ecstasies  to  which  the 
outpouring  of  supernatural  gifts  was  then  wont  to  raise 
the  impassioned  believers,  many  were  given  to  foresee  the 
dangers  the  Apostle  had  to  run,  and  they  begged  him 
not  to  incur  them. 

"  The  Spirit  is  speaking  through  us/'  they  exclaimed  ; 
"  do  not  go  up  to  Jerusalem."  ^ 

But  the  same  Spirit  that  was  unveiling  the  future  to 
them  was  at  the  same  time  impelling  Paul  to  go  forth 
and  meet  these  new  perils.  As  soon  as  their  vessel  was 
ready,  he  declared  his  intention  of  departing.  All  the 
disciples,  with  their  wives  and  children,  accompanied  him 
on  his  way  from  the  quarter  down  to  the  shore  ;  they 
knelt  on  the  beach  in  prayer  ;  then,  after  the  farewell 
embraces;  the  Apostle  went  on  board  with  his  fellow 
voyagers,  while  the  Tyrians  returned  homeward  sad  and 
troubled  at  heart. 

That  same  evening  the  ship  came  to  moorings  at 
Ptolemais,^  where  the  captain  purposed  making  a  short 
stay  ;  here  Paul,  giving  up  the  passage  by  sea,  determined 
to  start  out  for  Cœsarea  in  Palestine  ^  on  foot.     However, 

1  'Aj/eupt^j/res  tovs  fiaOrjTois.  Acts  xxi.  4.  Though  fallen  from  its 
ancient  splendor.  Tyre  was  still  busy  and  populous  ;  its  purple  dyes  had 
retained  their  old  renown  (Pliny,  Hist.  Nat.,  v.  17  ;  ix.  60)  ;  hence  there 
was  a  numerous  settlement  of  Jews  here  (Josephus,  Bell.  Jud.,  ii.  xviii.  5). 

2  Acts  xxi.  4. 

3  Saint  Jean  d'Acre. 

*  See  the  details  concerning  Csesarea  given  in  Saint  Peter,  Chap.  V. 
p.  98. 


358  SAINT  PAUL. 

he  would  not  leave  without  seeing  the  brethren  at  Ptole- 
maïs,  with  whom  he  spent  a  whole  day.  On  the  next 
morning  he  took  the  road  leading  to  Csesarea  ;  two  days' 
journey  at  least  were  to  be  made  this  way,  for  it  was 
necessary  to  make  the  circuit  of  the  Bay  of  Ptolemais, 
whence  the  road  encircles  the  base  of  Mount  Carmel,  and 
traverses  a  good  part  of  the  wide-spreading  plain  of 
Sharon.  Although  he  was  now  assured  of  being  in  Jeru- 
salem for  Pentecost,  the  Apostle  allowed  himself  no  de- 
lays, for  he  was  anxious  to  have  several  days  in  Csesarea, 
one  of  the  few  churches  in  Palestine  where  he  felt  sure 
public  sentiment  was  altogether  on  his  side.  Philip,  its 
founder,  was,  as  we  know,  one  of  the  seven  deacons  who 
had  inherited  in  the  largest  degree  the  spirit  of  Stephen. 
We  have  seen  how,  even  before  that  day  when  the  spirit 
of  that  first  Martyr  to  a  free  Gospel  came  to  life  in  Paul, 
Philip  had  already  entered  boldly  on  the  work  of  evan- 
gelizing the  Gentiles,  carrying  the  Faith  into  Samaria, 
and  converting  the  Ethiopian  eunuch.^  For  the  past 
twenty  years  he  had  been  living  in  Csesarea,  a  city  of 
foreign  settlers  on  Jewish  soil.  His  whole  ambition  was 
bounded  by  his  longing  to  remain  in  the  inferior  station 
where  God  had  placed  him,  and  to  be  considered  by  the 
brethren  as  simply  one  of  the  Seven  destined  to  perform 
the  humbler  ministry  of  the  Church  ;  but  his  ardor  in 
preaching  the  Glad  Tidings  had  raised  him  to  a  higher 
rank  in  men's  eyes,  and  his  house  was  known  through- 
out Csesarea  as  that  of  "  Philip  the  Evangelist."  ^  He 
was  not  unaided  in  his  efforts,  for  his  four  daughters, 
who  remained  virgins,  had  devoted  their  lives  to  the 
spreading  of  the  Faith.  The  title  of  "  Prophetesses,"  given 
them  in  the  Acts,  proves  that  among  other  gifts  of  God's 
Holy  Spirit,  they  had  received  that  one  which  to  Paul's 
thinking  was  the  most  valuable  of  all,  —  the  grace  "  of 
edifying,  exhorting,  and  comforting."  ^ 

In  this  family,  more  capable  than  almost  any  other  of 
comprehending   him   and  his  plans  for  the  world,  the 

1  See  Saint  Peter,  Chap.  V.  2  ^cts  xxi.  8. 

3  1  Cor.  xiv.  3. 


THE  RETURN  TO  JERUSALEM.  359 

Apostle  passed  a  few  days  of  quiet  and  freedom  such  as  he 
was  destined  to  enjoy  seldom  or  never  thereafter.  Never- 
theless, even  at  Cœsarea  this  tranquillity  was  not  left  un- 
disturbed. The  Prophet  Agabus  —  the  same  whom  Paul 
had  met  at  Antioch  some  seventeen  years  previously  ^  — 
"  descended  "  from  the  mountains  of  Judea.  The  dangers 
which  the  Apostle  had  to  fear  were  revealed  to  him  also  : 
in  order  to  lend  weight  to  his  words,  he  adopted  that 
language  of  action  so  frequently  used  by  the  Seers  of  old. 
Silently  entering  the  place  where  the  brethren  were 
assembled,  he  approached  Paul,  took  the  Apostle's  girdle, 
and  with  it  bound  fast  his  own  feet  and  hands.  Anxious 
glances  were  fixed  on  him,  looking  for  an  explanation  of 
this  dumb  show.     He  answered  them  with  this  Oracle  :  — 

"  Thus  saith  the  Holy  Ghost  :  '  So  shall  the  man  to 
whom  this  girdle  belongeth  be  bound  by  the  Jews  of 
Jerusalem,  and  so  shall  he  be  delivered  into  the  hands 
of  the  Gentiles.'  " 

Although  the  Prophets  had  been  using  much  the  same 
language  at  every  stage  in  their  journey,  yet  this  time 
the  very  imminence  of  the  peril,  as  well  as  the  renown 
of  Agabus,  greatly  intensified  the  general  alarm.  The 
brethren  of  Cœsarea,  even  Paul's  own  companions,  now 
crowded  about  the  Apostle,  imploring  him  to  stop  before 
it  was  too  late.  But  the  call  from  God  was  before  him, 
plain  and  not  to  be  gainsaid. 

"What  are  you  doing?"  was  his  only  answer  ;  "why 
will  you  weep  thus  and  break  my  heart  ?  I  am  ready,  not 
only  to  be  bound,  but  to  die  in  Jerusalem  for  the  Name 
of  the  Lord  Jesus." 

At  these  words,  they  realized  at  one  and  the  same  time 
somewhat  of  the  tenderness  of  the  Apostle's  heart,  and 
the  inflexibleness  of  his  great  will  ;  they  felt  the  useless- 
ness  of  further  resistance  to  God's  commands.  "  The  will 
of  the  Lord  be  done  !  "  they  said,  and  in  deep  sorrow 
they  set  about  preparing  for  his  departure. 

Certain  of  the  brethren  at  Csesarea  deemed  it  an 
honor  to  be  allowed  to  confront  the  danger  with  him  ; 

1  Acts  XÎ.  27-30. 


360  SAINT  PAUL. 

they  joined  company  with  Paul's  little  band,  and  brought 
along  with  them  an  aged  disciple  named  Mnason  of 
Cyprus,  who  owned  a  house  at  Jerusalem.  It  was  settled 
that  Paul  and  his  companions  were  to  lodge  with  him, 
where  they  would  always  have  a  refuge  in  case  of  a  sud- 
den attack.  Yet,  after  all,  what  was  the  good  of  any 
precautions  they  could  take,  or  the  most  devoted  affection 
of  his  friends  ?  Farewells  were  said,  but  with  aching 
hearts  and  their  minds  filled  with  visions  of  new  terrors 
in  the  near  future. 


CHAPTEK  XVI. 

THE  RIOT  IN  JERUSALEM.  —  PAUL  ARRESTED. 

No  delusive  hopes  cheered  Paul's  entrance  into  Jeru- 
salem ;  from  the  unbelieving  Jews  nothing  was  to  be 
expected  but  new  conspiracies,  from  the  Mother  Church 
cold  dislike.  Since  the  day  of  his  departure  from  Cor- 
inth, he  had  been  praying  that  his  charitable  tribute 
might  be  received  in  a  kindly  spirit  ;  ^  but  with  every 
mile  made  Jerusalemwards,  he  had  realized  more  keenly 
how  well  founded  were  his  fears,^  for  the  unconverted 
Jews  and  the  Judaizing  Christians  appeared  to  him  to 
be  equally  hostile  to  his  cause.  One  and  all,  indeed, 
in  both  these  parties,  regarded  it  as  a  settled  fact  that  he 
was  accomplishing  a  work  of  apostasy,  that  his  preach- 
ing to  the  Israelites  in  Heathen  lands  was  all  aimed  at 
alienating  them  from  Mosaism.^  Every  new  step  taken 
in  the  path  of  Christian  liberty  was  re-echoed  dolefully 
within  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  name  of  Paul  now 
aroused  the  darkest  suspicions,  the  bitterest  grief.  Yet 
in  this  atmosphere  of  popular  aversion  some  sympa- 
thetic souls  still  kept  alive  their  love  for  him.  The 
group  of  Hellenists,  to  which  Stephen  had  belonged,* 
still  numbered  a  few  disciples  faithful  to  the  principles 
which  the  Martyr  preached:  doubtless  they  were  the 
ones  who  "  received  the  Apostle  with  joy,"  ^  and  con- 
trived to  cheer  him  with  a  few  hours  of  rest  and  true 
brotherly  affection  on  the  evening  of  his  arrival. 

On  the  morrow  he  must  make  his  appearance  before 
the  veritable  Church  of  Jerusalem.     Surrounded  by  his 

1  Rom.  XV.  30,  31.  2  Acts  xx.  3,  22,  24,  38  ;  xvi.  4,  11-13. 

8  Acts  xxi.  21.  *  See  Saint  Peter,  Chap.  IV. 

^  Acts  xxi.  17. 


362  SAINT  PAUL. 

companions,  Paul  repaired  to  the  dwelling  of  James, 
where  the  Elders,  already  warned  of  his  presence  and 
greatly  moved  thereby,  had  met  together  of  their  own 
accord.  The  Apostle  proceeded  at  once  "to  relate  in 
detail  all  that  God  had  done  through  his  ministry  among 
the  Gentiles."  ^  In  this  private  meeting,  in  the  midst  of 
pastors  so  much  more  capable  of  perceiving  the  truth 
than  were  their  people,  he  felt  he  could  open  his  heart 
freely,  bearing  witness  to  what  he  had  had  to  suffer  from 
the  emissaries  of  Jerusalem,  and  to  the  struggles  it  had 
cost  him  to  rescue  the  Heathen  from  those  conspirators 
and  keep  them  steadfast  in  the  pure  faith  of  Christ. 
The  joy  of  the  Elders  was  unbounded  as  they  listened  to 
this  narrative,  so  thrilling  and  yet  so  simple  and  sincere. 
Asia  Minor,  Macedonia,  Greece,  —  one  half  of  the  world 
converted  !  this  was  indeed  so  splendid  a  conquest  that 
none  could  help  recognizing  God's  own  hand  unmistak- 
ably working  with  Paul  and  leading  him  on.  They  could 
only  glorify  the  handiwork  of  the  Creator  in  ardent 
prayers,  and  yet,  once  these  moments  of  thanksgiving 
were  passed,  they  could  not  stop  to  reflect  on  the 
Apostle's  words  without  troubled  hearts.  What  would 
be  thought  of  his  slender  regard  for  Mosaism,  and  of  the 
complete  emancipation  from  its  bondage  which  he  had 
been  claiming  for  the  Gentiles  ?  On  all  these  points  it 
behooved  him  to  show  some  deference  for  the  opinion  of 
the  converted  Jews,  now  numbering  many  thousands.  At 
the  first  glimpse  of  Paul  in  the  company  of  the  Gentiles 
whom  he  had  brought  with  him,  and  whose  ways  of  liv- 
ing he  shared,  would  they  not  break  out  in  noisy  protests 
and  arouse  the  angry  throngs  ?  The  surest  means  of 
forestalling  this  danger  was  to  obtain  the  Apostle's  prom- 
ise that  he  would  perform  some  public  act  of  Judaic  wor- 
ship. James  and  his  brethren  set  about  doing  this  at  once, 
by  suggesting  to  him  that  he  should  take  a  step  which 
would  testify  at  once  to  his  zeal  for  the  Law  and  his 
charity  toward  the  poor  of  the  Holy  City.  Several  of 
these  needy  Christians  had  taken  the  Nazarite's  vow  and 

1  Acts  xxi.  19. 


THE  RIOT  IN  JERUSALEM.  363 

were  unable  at  present  to  pay  for  the  sacrifices  which 
would  free  them  from  its  obligations  ;  they  must  needs 
await  the  appearance  of  some  wealthy  benefactor  who 
would  assume  these  heavy  expenses  ^  for  them.  Such 
acts  of  liberality  were  far  from  being  unknown,  since  men 
of  fortune  in  Israel  considered  it  an  honor  to  be  allowed 
to  provide  for  such  deserving  cases  :  some  of  these  per- 
sonages, on  certain  occasions  notable  in  history,  had 
enabled  several  hundred  Nazirs  to  cut  their  long  locks 
at  one  and  the  same  time,  and  thus  cease  their  life  of 
abstinence.^  The  alms  Paul  had  brought  with  him 
would  give  him  the  appearance  of  a  wealthy  man  in  the 
estimation  of  the  brethren  of  Jerusalem,  and  these  gifts 
made  James  and  his  Elders  the  more  desirous  that  he 
should  edify  the  Holy  City  by  some  bounty  of  the  same 
sort. 

"  Brother,"  they  said  to  him,  "  you  see  how  many 
thousand  Jews  have  believed,  and  all  are  zealous  for  the 
Law.  Now  they  have  heard  it  reported  that  you  are 
teaching  the  Jews  dispersed  among  the  nations  to  re- 
nounce Moses,  dissuading  them  from  circumcising  their 
children  and  from  living  according  to  Jewish  customs. 
What,  then,  is  to  be  done  ?  Beyond  a  doubt,  there  will 
soon  be  a  throng  about  you,  for  on  every  hand  they  will 
learn  of  your  arrival  :  do  you,  therefore,  do  what  we  are 
about  to  tell  you.     We  have  four  men  among  us  who 

1  The  Israelite  who  bound  himself  by  a  vow  to  abstain  from  all  fer- 
mented drink,  and  to  let  his  hair  grow  for  a  certain  length  of  time,  ter- 
minated his  Nazariteship  by  offering  sacrifices  whereof  the  following  details 
are  given  in  the  Book  of  Numbers  :  "  And  lo  the  law  of  the  Nazarite  ! 
On  the  day  whereon  the  season  of  Nazariteship  shall  be  accomplished,  he 
shall  be  conducted  to  the  entrance  of  the  Tabernacle  of  the  Covenant,  and 
he  shall  present  his  offering  to  the  Eternal,  —  a  male  lamb,  full  one  year 
old  and  unblemished,  for  a  holocaust  ;  a  ewe  lamb  one  year  old,  unblem- 
ished, as  a  sacrifice  for  sin  ;  and  an  unblemished  ram  for  a  peace  offering. 
He  shall  offer,  likewise,  a  basket  of  unleavened  bread,  cakes  of  fine  flour 
kneaded  in  oil,  and  unleavened  wafers  soaked  in  oil,  accompanied  by  their 
offerings  of  flour,  and  their  libations.  .  .  .  Such  is  the  law  of  the  Nazarite, 
such  his  offering  to  the  Eternal  for  his  Nazariteship,  without  reckoning 
what  he  may  see  fit  to  do  of  his  own  will."  Num.  vi.  13-21  ;  Josephus, 
BeM.  Jnd.,  ii.  xv.  1  ;  Talmud  of  Jerusalem,  Nazir,  i.  3. 

2  Josephus,  Antiq.  Jnd.,  xix.  vi.  1  ;  Bereschith  Rahha,  c.  xxi.  ;  Koheleth 
Rabha,  vii.  11  ;  Jerusalem  Talmud,  Nazir,  v.  5  ;  Beracoth,  vii.  2. 


364  SAINT  PAUL. 

have  taken  a  [Nazaritic]  vow  ;  take  them,  purify  your- 
self with  them,  and  bear  the  costs  of  the  ceremony,  that 
so  they  may  shave  their  heads.  All  will  then  be  aware 
that  there  is  no  truth  in  what  they  have  heard  tell,  and 
that  you  likewise  walk  in  the  observance  of  the  Law. 
As  for  the  Gentiles  who  have  believed,  we  have  written 
already,  having  decided  that  they  are  not  obliged  to 
observe  anything  of  this  kind,  unless  it  be  to  abstain 
from  what  has  been  sacrificed  to  idols,  from  blood,  from 
things  strangled,  and  from  fornication."  ^ 

There  is  not  the  slightest  indication  in  the  Acts  that 
Paul  manifested  any  surprise  or  repugnance  on  hearing 
their  proposition.  With  him  the  habit  of  forgetting  his 
own  interest  in  all  questions  involving  the  welfare  of  his 
fellow  men  made  him  superior  to  any  feelings  of  wounded 
personal  pride.  Nor  did  he  object  that,  by  such  a  strik- 
ing profession  of  Mosaism,  he  would  humiliate  himself 
in  the  eyes  of  Jerusalem,  give  the  lie  to  his  past  con- 
duct, and  his  teachings  to  the  Heathen  ;  while  to  affect 
a  devotion  which  he  knew  to  be  vain  and  barren  might 
reasonably  be  construed  as  an  unworthy  subterfuge.  If 
any  such  thoughts  as  these  darted  through  that  soul  of 
his,  so  proud  and  sensitive  on  all  points  of  honor,  they 
were  but  the  flashes  of  his  old  proud  nature  ;  they  could 
not  move  him  now,  for  a  more  generous  passion  had 
overmastered  all  others  in  him,  the  longing  to  be  all  to 
all,  that  so  he  might  gain  all  to  the  cause  of  Jesus.^ 
Paul's  only  aim  in  coming  to  Jerusalem  was  to  restore 
peace  in  hearts  embittered  against  him,  and  unite  the 
Mother  Church  with  the  converts  from  Paganism  by  a 
spirit  of  brotherly  forbearance  ;  any  legitimate  means  of 
bringing  about  this  concord  must  seem  good  to  him. 
Furthermore,  in  accepting  this  proposition  as  good  and 
commendable,  he  in  no  way  contradicted  himself,  since 
it  had  always  been  his  counsel  to  the  Gentiles  that  they 
should  submit  to  the  Judaic  Observances  rather  than 
scandalize  their  brethren.  "  Though  free  as  regards  all 
men,"  were  his  words  to  the  Corinthians,  "  I  make  myself 

1  Acts  xxi.  20-25.  2  i  Cor.  ix.  22. 


THE   RIOT  IN  JERUSALEM.  365 

the  servant  of  all  in  order  to  gain  more  souls.  I  have 
lived  as  a  Jew  among  the  Jews,  that  I  might  gain  the 
Jews  ;  with  those  who  are  under  the  Law,  I  submitted 
myself  to  the  Law,  although  I  was  no  longer  subject  to 
it."  ^  Still  more  recently  we  have  heard  him  reminding 
the  Romans  that,  since  Charity  is  of  first  importance,  it 
behooves  us  to  be  resigned  to  certain  practices,  useless  in 
themselves,  rather  than  grieve  the  very  least  of  our 
brethren.^  It  was  in  the  name  of  this  spirit  of  Charity 
that  the  Elders  besought  the  Apostle  to  participate  in  a 
Mosaical  ceremony  :  and  he  agreed. 

On  the  following  day,  taking  with  him  the  four  needy 
Christians  who  had  been  already  selected,  he  entered 
into  the  Temple,  and,  after  purifying  himself,  gave  his 
directions  to  the  priests  as  to  the  length  of  time  before 
the  allotted  sacrifices  should  be  offered  in  turn  for  each 
one  of  them,  in  order  that  they  might  be  released  from 
their  vows  :  the  purification  of  the  last  Nazarite  would 
not  take  place  until  seven  days  later.^  Accordingly  Paul 
tarried  for  a  week  with  his  companions  in  the  Temple, 
taking  part  in  their  sacrifices  and  their  prayers,*  and 
into  this  he  put  his  whole  soul  and  heart,  in  all  sincer- 
ity, for  Nazaritism  was  just  one  of  those  Jewish  Obser- 
vances the  mystic  meaning  of  which  harmonized  most 
perfectly  with  his  personal  views  on  religion.^     For  in 

1  1  Cor.  ix.  19-21. 

2  Rom.  xiv.  and  xv. 

3  As  the  term  of  theîr  vows  differed,  the  sacrifices  must  be  offered  on 
the  various  days  when  each  ended,  and  on  the  seventh  day  for  the  last 
Nazarite  alone.  Some  commentators  have  erred  in  concluding  from  this 
passage  in  the  Acts  that  the  purifications  lasted  seven  days  for  all  Naz- 
arites.  There  is  nothing  in  Scripture  or  in  Jewish  traditions  which  would 
indicate  the  existence  of  such  a  custom. 

4  It  is  scarcely  probable  that  Paul  himself  took  the  Nazarite's  vow  for 
the  period  of  seven  days  which  he  spent  in  the  Temple,  for  no  one  ever 
assumed  these  obligations  for  less  than  thirty  days  (Talmud,  Nazir,  i.  3  ; 
Josephus,  Bell.  Jud.,  ii.  xx.  1  ),  and  the  Acts  says  nothing  that  would  indi- 
cate that  the  Apostle  was  allowed  to  contract  them  for  a  shorter  period. 
It  says  simply  that  he  purified  himself  {ayvicrdeis)  in  the  companii  of  the 
Nazarifps,  —  in  other  words,  he  merely  took  part  in  their  ablutions' and 
sacrifices. 

^  As  we  liave  seen,  he  took  a  similar  vow  of  his  own  motion  at  Ken- 
chraea.     See  Chap.  IX.  p.  212. 


366  SAINT  PAUL. 

this  solemn  act  of  consecration,  whereby  the  Israelite 
"  separated  himself  that  he  might  belong  to  the  Eternal,"  ^ 
everything  pointed  to  that  moral  struggle  so  constantly 
insisted  upon  by  the  Apostle,^  the  liberation  of  man  from 
his  fleshly  burdens,  "  from  the  law  of  sin  and  of  death,"  ^ 
—  it  all  tended  to  "  make  of  his  body  a  living  sacrifice, 
holy,  well  pleasing  unto  God."  * 

The  halls  set  apart  for  the  Nazarites  during  this  period 
of  purification  opened  out  upon  the  second  terraced  plat- 
form of  the  Temple,  and  into  the  enclosure  reserved  for 
the  Israelites.^  The  large  majority  of  Jews  but  seldom 
ascended  thus  far,  except  at  the  hours  appointed  for  sac- 
rifices ;  they  generally  preferred  the  lower  esplanade, 
which  the  Gentiles  were  free  to  enter.  It  would  seem 
that  during  his  retreat  Paul  never  mingled  with  the 
throng  that  went  and  came  in  this  half  profane  court  ; 
in  the  company  of  his  Nazarites  he  remained  in  the 
porches  of  Israel,  all  absorbed  in  the  hallowed  ceremo- 
nies, consequently  respected  by  all. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  seven  days,  however,  certain 
Asiatic  Jews  espied  him  within  the  sacred  precincts. 
These  strangers  hailed  from  those  Synagogues  so  hostile 
to  the  cause  of  Christ,  the  same  whose  bitter  persecu- 
tions had  so  grievously  disturbed  Paul's  stay  in  Ephesus.^ 
Their  fear  of  Eome  had  acted  as  a  check  on  them  in  Asia 
Minor,  and  it  still  overawed  them  here  in  Jerusalem,  for 
when,  just  after  the  Apostle's  arrival  in  that  city,  they 
had  encountered  him  in  company  with  a  Gentile  from 
Ephesus  named  Trophimus,  they  durst  do  nothing  against 

1  Num.  vi.  5. 

2  Philo  {Opera,  vol.  ii.  p.  249,  Mangey's  ed.)  gives  the  mystical  expla- 
nation of  this  ceremony, 

3  Rom.  viii.  2.  *  Rom.  xii.  1. 

5  The  Mount  of  the  Temple  (Mt.  Moriah)  presented  the  appearance  of 
a  series  of  three  terraces.  The  lowest  was  in  the  form  of  a  wide  espla- 
nade, which  the  Pagans  had  free  access  to  ;  hence  its  name  of  the  "  Gen- 
tiles' Porch."  To  the  northwest  of  this  enclosure  rose  the  second  terrace, 
twenty  cubits  higher  and  reserved  to  the  Jews,  whence  it  was  called  tlie 
"  Israelites'  Porch."  A  stairway  of  fifteen  steps  led  from  this  second  terrace 
to  a  higher  platform,  on  which  the  Temple  stood.  For  further  details  con- 
cerning the  Temple,  see  The  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  Vol.  I.,  Appendix  I. 

^  Acts  XX.  19. 


THE  RIOT  IN  JERUSALEM.  367 

him.^  But  in  the  precincts  sacred  to  Israel  they  felt 
themselves  free  to  act  as  standing  on  their  own  ground, 
while  their  glance  fell  on  the  inscriptions  inscribed  on  the 
walls,  threatening  with  death  any  Heathen  who  dared 
cross  the  threshold  of  this  hallowed  enclosure.^  Fanat- 
icism made  them  forget  their  fears  ;  they  jumped  to  the 
conclusion  that  Paul  had  gained  admittance  for  Trophi- 
mus  of  Ephesus  among  his  companions;  and  accepting 
as  an  established  fact  what  was  merely  the  desire  of 
their  revengeful  minds,  they  rushed  down  into  the  lower 
court  to  spread  the  tale  that  the  Apostle  was  now  vio- 
lating the  Temple.  The  excited  mob  followed  their  leader- 
ship ;  they  rushed  upon  Paul,  with  a  wild  outcry  :  — 

"  Help,  sons  of  Israel  !  Here  is  the  man  who  is  dog- 
matizing everywhere  against  the  Jewish  people,  the  Law, 
and  this  Holy  Place;  and  now  he  has  brought  G-reeks 
into  the  Temple  and  profaned  the  sanctuary  !  " 

The  whole  town  was  soon  in  a  ferment  ;  from  all  sides 
crowds  were  running  in  the  direction  of  the  Temple. 
Meanwhile  the  Asiatics  had  seized  Paul  and  dragged  him 
outside  the  Porches  of  Israel  ;  the  spot  was  too  holy  to 
think  of  killing  him  then  and  there.  The  Lévites,  for 
their  part,  dreading  any  pollution  of  the  sanctuary,  had 
been  pushing  the  multitude  out  as  far  as  the  steps  lead- 
ing down  to  the  Gentiles'  Porches,  and  had  managed  to 
shut  the  doors  upon  the  rabble.  These  fanatics,  while 
dragging  the  Apostle  after  them,  never  ceased  loading 
him  with  blows  ;  they  would  have  soon  made  an  end  of 
him,  had  not  a  band  of  Eoman  soldiery,  dashing  through 
the  mob,  now  appeared  on  the  scene. 

1  Acts  XXÎ.  29. 

2  Josephus,  BelL  Jud.,  v.  v.  2;  Antîq.  Jud.,  xv.  xi.  1.  One  of  these 
inscriptions  written  in  the  Greek  tongue  has  been  discovered  by  M.  Cler- 
mont-Ganneau  in  the  wall  of  a  school  building  at  Jerusalem  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Herod's  ancient  temple.  I  append  the  translation  : 
"  Let  no  stranger  step  foot  beyond  the  railing  which  surrounds  the  Holy 
Place,  or  into  the  enclosure.  He  who  shall  be  apprehended  so  doing  need 
blame  none  but  himself  for  what  shall  befall  him  thereafter,  —  Death." 
Clermont-Ganneau,  Fraudes  Archéologiques,  p.  42;  Journal  Officiel,  Yeh. 
23,  1885,  p.  1006.  See  M.  Vigouroux's  Le  Nouveau  Test,  et  les  Découvertes 
Archéologiques,  chap.  vii. 


368  SAINT  PAUL. 

These  legionaries  descended  from  the  Tower  of  Antonia, 
which  overlooked  the  Temple  from  the  northwest.^  The 
Tribune,  to  whom  the  Procurator  of  Judea  confided  the 
preservation  of  the  peace  in  the  Holy  City,  resided  here 
with  all  his  troops.  In  a  hot-bed  of  fanaticism  like  Je- 
rusalem, especially  during  seasons  of  religious  festivities, 
this  officer  lived  constantly  on  the  alert,  his  hand  upon 
his  sword.  "  All  Jerusalem  is  in  an  uproar  !  "  was  the 
news  they  brought  him,  and,  immediately  collecting  some 
centurions  and  a  detachment  of  soldiers,  he  hastened 
down  the  stairway  which  connected  the  tower  with  the 
Court  of  the  Gentiles.^  The  crowd  calmed  down  at 
sight  of  the  Eomans,  and  the  maddest  among  them  ceased 
beating  Paul.  The  officer,  making  straight  for  him, 
wrested  the  victim  from  their  hands. 

This  Tribune  was  called  Lysias  ;  though  a  Greek  by 
birth,  he  had  purchased  the  title  of  Eoman  citizen  from 
Claudius,  and  consequently  had  added  to  his  name  that 
of  the  Emperor  ;  birth,  profession,  speech,  all  tended  to 
make  him  appear  a  foreigner  in  the  eyes  of  the  people 
whom  he  was  appointed  to  hold  in  check.  What  could 
be  the  cause  of  this  sudden  outbreak  ?  Only  one  idea  oc- 
curred to  his  mind  :  some  days  previously,  several  thou- 
sand zealots,  headed  by  an  Egyptian  Jew,  had  attempted 
a  revolt,  and  been  overwhelmed  by  his  legionaries  at  the 
gates  of  Jerusalem  :  ^  their  leader  had  disappeared,  and 
had  thus  far  eluded  his  pursuers.  Lysias  supposed  that 
it  was  this  impostor  whom  he  had  rescued  ;  bidding  his 
men  bind  him  with  two  chains,*  he  appealed  to  the  crowd 

1  Josephus,  Bell.  Jud.,  v.  v.  8  ;  Antiq.  Jud.,  xx.  v.  3. 

2  Josephus,  Bell.  Jud.,  v.  v.  8  ;  De  Vogiié,  Le  Temple  de  Jérusalem, 
p.  52,  plates  xv.  and  xvi. 

^  Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud.,  xx,  viii.  6. 

*  This  means  that  the  two  guards  stationed  themselves  one  at  either 
side,  and  did  not  merely  hold  the  Apostle's  chains  in  their  hands,  but 
wound  the  fetters  which  were  fastened  to  the  prisoner's  wrists  about  their 
own  arms.  This  was  a  common  custom  with  the  Roman  police,  and 
Seneca  alludes  to  it  in  the  well  known  words,  "  Eadem  catena  et  eustodiam 
et  militem  copulat  "  {Epht.  5).  Cf.  Digest,  xlviii.  viii.  1,  12, 14  ;  Josephus, 
Antiq.  Jud.,  xviii.  vi.  7,  10.  P^very  Roman  soldier  carried  a  chain  and  strap 
along  with  his  other  equipments.     Josephus,  Bell.  Jud.,  iii.  v.  5. 


THE  RIOT  IN  JERUSALEM.  369 

for  information  concerning  the  man  and  what  he  had 
done.  Some  shouted  one  thing,  others  something  else  ; 
seeing  that  it  was  hopeless  to  expect  anything  reason- 
able in  this  uproar,  the  Tribune  gave  orders  to  have  Paul 
taken  into  the  fortress. 

Seeing  the  prisoner  borne  away  by  the  guards,  the 
people,  in  their  fury  at  the  prospect  of  being  robbed  of 
their  vengeance,  made  a  sudden  rush  upon  him,  crying  out, 
"  Kill  him  !  Kill  him  J  " 

By  the  time  they  reached  the  foot  of  the  steps  by 
which  they  must  ascend  to  Antonia,  the  press  had  become 
so  great  that  Paul,  impeded  by  his  chains,  could  not 
proceed  unaided,  Lysias  ordered  his  soldiers  to  take  him 
up  in  their  arms  and  carry  him.  He  himself  marched 
close  beside  his  prisoner.  The  Apostle  leaned  down  and 
said,  "  May  I  speak  to  you  ?  " 

"  What  is  this  ?  "  replied  Lysias  ;  "  you  know  Greek  ? 
Are  you  not,  then,  the  Egyptian  who,  some  days  ago, 
excited  four  thousand  men  and  led  them  into  the  Desert 
with  him  ?  " 

"  I  am  a  Jew  from  Tarsus,"  was  Paul's  answer,  "  a  citi- 
zen of  that  Cilician  town,  which  is  not  without  renown. 
I  beg  you  to  let  me  speak  to  the  people." 

Lysias  granted  his  request. 

Advancing  to  the  top  of  the  stairway,  Paul  made  a 
gesture  with  his  heavily  manacled  hands,  to  signify  that 
he  wished  to  be  heard  ;  the  crowd  became  silent. 

"Brethren  and  Fathers,"  he  began,  for  he  had  recog- 
nized certain  members  of  the  Sanhédrin  in  the  front 
ranks,  "  listen,  I  beseech  you,  to  what  I  shall  have  to  say 
in  my  defence."  He  was  speaking  in  the  Hebrew  tongue,^ 
and  this  token  of  respect  was  sufficient  to  quiet  the  ex- 
citement and  redouble  their  attention. 

"I  am  a  Jew,"  Paul  proceeded,  "born  at  Tarsus,  in 
Cilicia,  yet  brought  up  in  this  city  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel, 
in  all  the  rigor  of  the  law  of  our  fathers,  zealous  in  the 
cause  of  God  as  you  are  to-day.     I  have  persecuted  unto 

1  By  this  we  are  meant  to  understand  the  Syrochaldaic  dialect  then  in 
use  in  Palestine. 

24 


370  SAINT  PAUL. 

death  such  as  followed  this  way,  binding  men  and  women, 
and  casting  them  into  prison.  Of  this  the  High  Priest 
himself  is  my  witness,^  together  with  the  whole  body  of 
the  Elders,  from  whom  I  received  letters  to  the  brethren 
at  Damascus,  and  was  going  thither,  in  order  to  bring 
back  to  Jerusalem  those  who  were  there  that  they  might 
be  punished.  But  it  came  to  pass,  as  I  was  on  the  road,  and 
was  drawing  near  to  Damascus,  that  of  a  sudden,  about 
midday,  a  great  light  from  Heaven  shone  like  a  lightning 
flash  round  about  me.  And  I  fell  to  the  ground,  and 
heard  a  voice  saying  unto  me,  '  Saul  !  Saul  !  why  perse- 
cutest  thou  me  ?  '  I  answered,  '  Who  art  thou.  Lord  ?  ' 
And  He  said  to  me,  'I  am  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  Whom 
thou  persecutest.'  They  that  were  with  me  saw  the 
light,  and  they  were  seized  with  fear  ;  but  they  heard 
not  the  voice  of  Him  Who  was  speaking  to  me.  And  I 
said,  '  What  shall  T  do,  Lord  ?  '  And  the  Lord  answered 
me,  '  Arise  and  go  into  Damascus,  and  there  thou  shalt  be 
told  what  thou  must  needs  do.'  And  as  the  great  bril- 
liancy of  that  light  had  blinded  me,  they  that  were  with 
me  took  me  by  the  hand  and  led  me  into  Damascus. 
Now  a  devout  man  according  to  the  Law,  named  Ananias, 
well  reported  of  by  all  the  Jews  that  dwelt  there,  came 
to  me,  and,  drawing  near  me,  said  to  me,  '  Brother  Saul, 
recover  thy  sight!'  And  in  that  instant  I  raised  my 
eyes,  and  saw  him.  And  he  said  to  me,  '  The  God  of 
our  fathers  hath  chosen  thee  beforehand  to  know  His 
will,  and  to  behold  the  Just  One,  and  to  hear  from  His 
mouth  the  Word  ;  for  thou  shalt  be  His  witness  before 
all  men  of  what  thou  hast  seen  and  heard.  And  now 
why  dost  thou  delay  ?  Arise,  receive  baptism,  and  wash 
away  thy  sins,  calling  on  the  name  of  the  Lord." 

More  than  once  have  we  had  to  admire  Paul's  perfect 
self-possession  in  perilous  crises,  but  never  was  this  char- 
acteristic so  strikingly  manifested  as  in  this  instance.  The 
Apostle,  after  the  cruel  treatment  he  had  just  received 

^  The  High  Priest  whom  Paul  here  calls  to  witness  was  Theophilus, 
son  of  Annas;  he  occupied  this  position  from  37  to  43.  Josephus,  Antiq. 
JucL,  xviii.  V.  3  ;  xix.  vi.  1,  2. 


PAUL  ARRESTED,  371 

and  his  narrow  escape  from  death,  still  is  so  far  master 
of  himself  as  to  be  able  to  use  all  the  resources  known  to 
him  when  confronting  this  howling  mob.  He  not  merely 
uses  the  most  effective  arguments,  he  manages  also  to 
put  them  in  a  fashion  most  likely  to  propitiate  his  blood- 
thirsty audience.  What  a  wonderful  exhibition  it  was  in 
him  to  address  these  fanatics  as  one  who  was  once  also  a 
determined  supporter  of  the  Law  they  were  defending  ! 
No  one  there,  he  tells  them,  had  ever  gone  to  greater 
lengths  than  he  in  his  profound  reverence  for  Mosaical 
belief,  for  had  not  his  ardor  induced  him  to  become  a  per- 
secutor of  the  Faith  ?  And  if  now  that  same  Faith  has 
changed  his  point  of  view,  it  required  nothing  short  of 
an  overwhelming  revelation  to  work  this  change  in  him  ; 
and  even  in  this  event  it  was  to  a  scrupulous  observer 
of  the  old  worship,  —  to  Ananias,  a  man  revered  by  all 
Israelites  in  Damascus,  —  that  this  Jesus  who  had  con- 
quered him  had  taken  care  to  send  him  for  help  and 
advice. 

The  Apostle  had  one  last  point  to  urge  in  his  defence, 
—  he  wanted  them  to  know  that,  if  he  had  not  remained 
in  the  Holy  City,  devoting  himself  to  his  brethren  in 
Israel,  this  was  not  because  he  himself  wished  to  part 
from  them.  He  had  striven  long  against  the  God  of  his 
fathers.  Who  had  commissioned  him  to  travel  afar,  urging 
that,  as  he  was  known  to  all  here  as  a  quondam  persecu- 
tor, his  conversion  would  lend  great  weight  to  his  words  ; 
nor  did  he  finally  bow  to  God's  will  until  he  had  received  a 
formal  command  from  the  Lord  Himself.  This  was,  to 
be  sure,  the  most  delicate  point  in  his  apology  ;  satisfied 
that  he  had  made  himself  heard  and  understood  thus  far, 
the  Apostle  began  the  latter  part  of  his  speech  with  more 
hardihood  and  freedom. 

"  On  my  return  to  Jerusalem,"  he  went  on,  "  as  I  was 
praying  in  the  Temple,  I  fell  in  a  trance,  and  I  saw  Him 
saying  to  me,  '  Make  haste  and  go  out  forthwith  from 
Jerusalem,  for  they  will  not  receive  thy  testimony  con- 
cerning Me.' 

"  I  answered  Him,  '  Lord,  they  know  I  am  he  who  was 


372  SAINT  PAUL. 

continually  casting  into  prison  and  whipping  such  as 
believed  in  Thee,  and  when  the  blood  of  Stephen,  Thy 
witness,  was  shed,  I  was  standing  by,  consenting  to  his 
death,  and  guarded  the  garments  of  them  that  slew 
him.' 

"  But  he  said  unto  me,  '  Depart,  for  I  will  send  thee 
far  hence  unto  the  Gentiles.'  " 

Despite  the  blood  of  the  Martyr,  so  boldly  referred  to 
by  the  Apostle,  as  though  it  were  a  shield  against  their 
wrath,  at  the  first  mention  of  the  word  "  Gentiles,"  the 
shouts  broke  out  anew  :  "  Away  with  him  !  "  was  the 
cry,  "  he  is  not  lit  to  live." 

The  uproar,  so  long  held  back,  burst  forth  with  re- 
doubled force.  All  this  throng  of  fanatics,  now  beside 
themselves  with  rage,  shrieked  and  ground  their  teeth  ; 
shaking  their  clenched  fists  in  their  madness,  throwing 
dust  over  their  heads,  tearing  their  clothing,  and  wav- 
ing the  tattered  fragments  in  the  air.  Lysias,  perceiv- 
ing that  it  was  useless  to  delay  longer,  bade  his  men 
bring  Paul  within  the  fortress  ;  but,  as  he  had  not  under- 
stood his  speech,  and  wished  to  know  why  they  were  so 
fierce  against  the  man,  he  ordered  one  of  his  centurions 
to  use  the  lash  in  order  to  extort  an  answer  to  his 
questions. 

The  soldiers  seized  Paul  and  had  already  bound  him  to 
the  stake  with  straps,^  when  the  Apostle  found  an  op- 
portunity to  say  to  the  centurion,  "  Is  it  lawful  to  flog  a 
Koman  citizen  who  has  not  been  condemned  ?  " 

His  words  brought  his  torturers  to  a  sudden  stand-still, 
for  the  offence  they  were  about  to  commit  was  serious, 
and  fraught   with  grave  consequences.^ 

The  officer  in  charge  hurried  to  the  Tribune,  warning 
him  to  take  care  what  steps  he  took  in  the  matter.     Great 

1  The  instrument  of  torture  in  question,  employed  to  extort  a  confession 
of  guilt,  was  not  the  leathern  thongs  designated  by  the  words  roîs  lyiatTiv, 
but  a  lash  bristling  with  knobs  and  leaden  l)alls,  "  horribili  flagello." 
Horace,  /  Salirœ,  iii.  19.     Eiirwv  /xda-Ti^ii/  àverd^io-ôat  avréu,  Acts  xxii.  24. 

2  The  Laws  of  Valeria  and  Porcia  forbade  all  magistrates,  under  pain 
of  severest  punishment,  to  strike  Roman  citizens  with  the  rods.  Valerius 
Maximus,  iv.  i.  1  ;  Livy,  x.  2. 


PAUL  ARRESTED.  373 

was  the  surprise  of  the  latter,  who  had  regarded  the 
bruised  and  beaten  Apostle  as  nothing  more  than  a 
seditious  Jew  of  the  lower  classes.  He  went  to  him 
immediately. 

"  Is  it  true,"  he  demanded  of  his  prisoner,  "  that  you 
are  a  Eoman  citizen  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  Paul  replied. 

"  But,"  objected  the  Tribune,  "  I  bought  this  title  for  a 
great  price."  ^ 

"  And  I  have  it  by  birthright,"  was  Paul's  answer. 

Hearing  this,  the  Tribune  dismissed  the  soldiers  :  for 
any  attempt  upon  the  person  of  a  Roman  citizen  —  the 
mere  fact  of  strapping  him  to  the  stake  —  constituted  a 
crime  ;  ^  indeed,  there  was  a  most  humane  law,  forbidding 
officials  to  begin  any  judicial  process  with  the  use  of 
torture.^  And  Lysias  realized  the  measure  of  his  respon- 
sibility ?  How  was  he  to  justify  his  conduct,  if  ques- 
tioned by  the  Governor  ?  What  explanation  could  he 
give  him  of  the  whole  city  being  in  confusion,  without 
any  complaint  against  the  instigator  of  it  forthcoming  ? 

On  the  morrow,  still  laboring  under  this  embarrass- 
ment, he  sought  means  of  enlightening  himself  by  con- 
fronting Paul  with  the  Sanhédrin.  Accordingly,  orders 
were  given  for  the  princes  of  the  priesthood  to  assemble 
with  all  their  councillors,  and  Lysias  himself,  after  having 
relieved  the  prisoner  of  his  chains,  presented  him  before 
this  highest  court  of  Jewry .^     The  High  Priest  Ananias  ^ 

1  The  rights  and  title  of  Roman  citizenship  were  sold  at  a  very  dear, 
or  a  very  mean  price,  according  to  the  times.     Dio  Cassius,  Ix.  17. 

2  "  Faciuus  est  vincire  civem  Romanum,  scelus  verberare."  Cicero,  In 
Verr.,  ii.  \.  66. 

^  "  Non  esse  a  torraentis  incipiendum  divus  Augustus  constituit." 
Digest,  xlviii.  18,  1. 

■*  Evidently  the  Sanhédrin  did  not  assemble  in  its  ancient  meeting- 
place,  the  "  Hall  of  Hewn  Stone  "  (  Gazith),  which  lay  between  the  Priests' 
Porches  and  that  of  the  Israelites  [Mischna  Sanheclrin,  xi.  2;  Pea,  iii.  6; 
Mid  doth,  V.  3,  4).  Lysias  and  his  soldiers  Avould  not  have  dared  to  enter 
within  the  private  enclosure  ;  the  Governor  of  Judea  himself  had  never 
ventured  to  set  foot  within  it.  For  some  thirty-eight  years  it  had  been 
customary  to  hold  their  sittings  in  the  gate  of  the  Temple  {Sabbath,  15  a; 
Aboda  Sara,  8  b). 

^  Ananias,  son  of  Nebedeus,  was  raised  to  the  sovereign  pontificate  by 


374  SAINT  PAUL. 

presided  as  judge  ;^  this  man  was  one  of  the  most  scan- 
dalous pontiffs  of  that  epoch  ;  avaricious,  grasping,  re- 
nowned for  his  sensuality,  the  man  was  never  known  to 
shrink  from  doing  anything  which  would  satisfy  his 
passions,  ready,  if  need  be,  to  employ  the  daggers  of  his 
murderous  hirelings.  He  belonged  to  that  family  of 
Annas  —  "  The  Hissings  of  Vipers,"  as  they  were  called  ^ 
—  who  had  sentenced  Jesus  to  death.  Acts  of  high- 
handed injustice,  and  even  violence,  were  familiar  to  this 
man,  and  of  this  he  lost  no  time  in  giving  evidence. 
Hardly  had  the  Apostle,  looking  fixedly  at  the  council  of 
his  people,  pronounced  these  few  words,  "  Brethren,  up 
to  this  hour  I  have  always  lived  a  conscientious  life 
before  God,"  when  Ananias  cried  out,  "  Strike  him  on 
the  mouth  !  " 

Paul  shivered  under  the  insult.  His  dimmed  sight 
could  not  make  out  the  person  who  gave  this  command  ; 
he  only  saw  that  it  came  from  some  one  of  the  pontiff 
priests  whom  he  could  recognize  as  such  by  their  white 
robes.^ 

"  Thou  whited  wall,"  he  replied,  "  God  shall  smite  thee 
in  thy  turn.  Thou  art  seated  there  to  judge  me  accord- 
ing to  the  Law,  and  in  defiance  of  the  Law  thou  com- 
mandest  me  to  be  struck." 

Herod,  King  of  Chalcis,  and  "held  this  position  for  ten  years.  Though 
deposed  shortly  before  the  departure  of  the  Procurator  Felix,  he  never- 
theless retained  great  influence  in  the  state,  which  he  used  to  satisfy  his 
own  passions.  He  met  his  death  at  the  hands  of  assassins.  Josephus, 
Antiq.  Jud.,  xx.  v.  2  ;  vi.  2  ;  viii.  8  j  ix.  2.  Bell.  Jud.,  ii.  xvii.  9.  Talmud 
of  Babylon,  Pesachim,  57  a  ;  Kerithouth,  28  a. 

1  The  presidency  of  the  Sanhédrin  did  not  belong  by  right  to  the  High 
Priest,  but  was  confided  to  any  one  of  the  seventy-one  members  designated 
by  the  vote  of  his  colleagues  (Kitto,  Cychpœdia,  Sanhedrim).  According 
to  the  Talmud  of  Babylon,  this  function  was  conferred  by  acclamation  on 
Hillel,  and  was  made  hereditary  in  his  family.  But  it  was  not,  for  all 
that,  more  than  an  honorary  title,  since  we  constantly  find  the  High  Priests, 
after  the  opening  of  the  Christian  era,  presiding  and  directing  the  deliber- 
ations of  this  body.  Acts  v.  M  et  seq.  ;  vii.  1  ;  ix.  1,  2  ;  xxii.  5  ;  xxiii.  2,  4  ; 
xxiv.  1.     Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud.,  xx.  x.  ;   Contr.  App.,  ii.  23,  etc. 

2  Pesachim,  57  a. 

3  Even  after  they  were  out  of  office,  the  High  Priests  still  retained 
their  title  and  continued  to  wear  the  white  robes  of  state.  Josephus,  Bell. 
Jud.,  iv.  iii.  10. 


PAUL  ARRESTED.  375 

"  Will  you  even  dare  to  revile  God's  High  Priest  ?  " 
exclaimed  the  spectators. 

Paul  excused  himself:  "I  was  not  aware,  brethren, 
that  it  was  the  High  Priest,^  for  it  is  written,  '  Thou  shalt 
not  speak  evil  of  the  ruler  of  thy  people.'  "  ^ 

This  readiness  to  quote  and  respect  the  authority  of 
Scripture  did  somewhat  toward  restoring  calm  in  the 
assembly,  whereupon  the  real  debate  was  opened.  Accord- 
ing to  the  testimony  of  Lysias,^  the  principal  questions 
at  issue  had  to  do  with  the  legal  obligations  :  in  vain 
Paul  urged  the  importance  of  his  Eevelations,  and  the 
message  of  Salvation  which  he  was  commissioned  to 
bear  to  all  men  alike  ;  he  could  make  no  impression  on 
minds  so  embittered  and  bent  on  vengeance.  Happily, 
the  discussion  turned  on  certain  points  peculiar  to  the 
Jewish  Faith,  —  on  the  Eesurrection  of  the  dead,  and 
the  existence  of  Angels  and  spirits.*  These  beliefs, 
though  rejected  by  the  Sadducees,  were  still  cherished 
by  the  Pharisees  :  the  Apostle  saw  his  opportunity  of 
adroitly  turning  his  enemies'  wrath  against  the  oppos- 
ing faction,  without,  however,  concealing  his  own  con- 
victions. 

"  Brethren,"  he  cried,  "  I  am  a  Pharisee,  and  the  son 
of  a  Pharisee.  What  am  I  now  accused  of  ?  For  hoping 
in  the  Eesurrection  of  the  dead  ?  " 

This  profession  of  his  opinions  excited  a  violent  quarrel 
between  the  members  themselves,  and  brought  over  many 
of  them  to  his  side.  "We  find  no  fault  in  this  man," 
several  of  the  Pharisees  were  saying,  "  and  who  knows 

1  We  have  seen  elsewhere  {Saint  Peter,  Chap.  X.  p.  174  et  seq.)  into  what 
dishonor  the  oflBce  of  High  Priest  had  fallen  at  this  date.  As  one  High 
Priest  followed  another  in  swift  succession, —  sometimes  deposed  by  the 
Romans,  sometimes  by  the  Herods,  —  the  people  began  to  pay  more  atten- 
tion to  the  illustrious  Rabbis  than  to  these  degraded  Lévites.  It  has  been 
suggested  that,  as  Paul  had  been  absent  from  Jerusalem  for  so  many  years, 
he  might  not  have  known  the  High  Priest  then  in  office.  Some  outward 
insignia  of  rank,  it  is  true,  probably  distinguished  this  exalted  personage 
from  the  pontiffs  surrounding  him;  but  Paul's  sight,  from  illness  and 
natural  weakness,  failed  to  discern  this  mark  or  badge. 

2  Exod.  xxii.  28. 

3  Acts  xxiii.  29.  ^  Acts  xxiii.  6-8. 


376  SAINT  PAUL. 

whether  some  spirit  or  an  Angel  may  not  have  spoken 
to  him?" 

Lysias  had  been  listening  to  the  discussions  which 
were  so  unfamiliar  to  him,  and  at  the  same  time  protect- 
ing the  Apostle  by  his  presence,  howbeit  without  suc- 
ceeding, as  he  had  expected,  in  discovering  of  what  his 
man  was  accused  withal.  One  thing,  at  least,  struck 
him  forcibly,  to  wit,  that  in  the  tumult  going  on  Paul 
was  in  danger  of  being  torn  in  pieces  by  the  furious  foes 
who  surrounded  him.  Resorting  to  the  same  manoeu- 
vres adopted  the  night  before,  he  ordered  his  soldiers  to 
enter  the  hall,  and  then  consigned  Paul  to  them  to  be 
returned  to  the  fortress  for  safe  keeping. 

The  Apostle's  strength  had  been  wellnigh  exhausted 
by  these  terrible  days.  As,  for  the  second  time,  night 
came  upon  him  in  his  dungeon  in  Antonia,  and  as  he 
thought  of  the  mad  hatred  he  still  had  to  face,  he  felt  that 
gloomy  sense  of  his  own  weakness  stealing  over  him  to 
which  he  was  so  often  subject  when  no  friendly  arm  was 
by  to  sustain  him.  On  a  similar  occurrence,  the  entire 
Church  had  watched  and  prayed  for  Peter  ;  ^  but  Paul 
could  hope  for  nothing  of  the  kind  ;  the  Christians  of 
the  Holy  City  felt  that  they  were  doing  all  that  was 
demanded  of  them  when  they  refrained  from  breaking 
off  all  relations  with  him  ;  even  their  pastors  evidenced 
the  greatest  caution  ;  there  is  no  indication  of  their  hav- 
ing tendered  him  any  assistance  in  this  terrible  trial. 

But  the  Lord,  for  Whom  Paul  was  suffering,  had  never 
ceased  to  be  a  Helper  "  sufficient  unto  him."  ^  He  ap- 
peared to  his  servant  on  that  night  of  terror. 

"  Be  of  good  courage,"  He  said  ;  "  as  thou  hast  given 
testimony  of  Me  at  Jerusalem,  so  must  thou  also  testify 
of  Me  at  Rome."  ^ 

On  the  morning  of  the  following  day,  the  effects  of 
this  promise  began  to  show  themselves.  The  hearts  of 
the  zealots  were  still  burning  with  indignation  at  the 
thought  of  how  the  Roman  soldiery  had  broken  into  the 
councils  of  the  Sanhédrin  to  rescue  the  victim  from  their 

^  Acts  xii.  5.  ^2  Cor  xii.  9.  ^  Acts  xxiii.  11. 


PAUL  ARRESTED.  377 

rage.  More  than  forty  of  these  men  met  together  at  the 
hour  of  dawn,  and  bound  themselves  by  an  oath,  ratified 
by  horrible  anathemas,  to  neither  eat  nor  drink  until  they 
had  slain  the  Apostle.  Nor  did  they  shrink  from  making 
the  princes  of  the  priesthood  and  the  Elders  of  the  peo- 
ple parties  to  their  compact  by  calling  on  their  aid. 

"  Do  you,"  such  was  their  proposal,  "  go  now  and  beg 
the  Tribune  in  the  name  of  the  Sanhédrin  to  order  this 
man  to  be  brought  down  here  among  you,  as  if  you  were 
desirous  of  examining  more  closely  into  his  case  ;  before 
he  arrives,  we  shall  be  prepared  to  kill  him." 

A  conspiracy  formed  after  this  fashion  was  not  likely 
to  remain  long  a  secret  ;  rumors  of  the  plot  reached  the 
ears  of  Paul's  nephew,  the  son  of  the  Apostle's  sister,  who 
resided  in  Jerusalem.  This  young  man,  who  was  doubt- 
less a  Christian,  hastened  to  Antonia  and  gained  admit- 
tance to  the  prisoner  on  the  plea  of  kinship.  At  once 
Paul  was  informed  of  his  peril.  Calling  one  of  the  cen- 
turions, he  said  to  him,  "  Conduct  this  young  man  to  the 
Tribune,  he  has  something  to  say  to  him."  And  the 
officer  led  the  lad  away,  and  brought  him  into  the  pres- 
ence of  Lysias. 

"  The  prisoner  Paul  summoned  me,"  he  said,  "  and  re- 
quested me  to  bring  this  young  man  before  you,  since  he 
has  some  communication  to  make  to  you." 

Taking  the  lad  kindly  by  the  hand,  the  Tribune  drew 
him  aside,  asking,  "  What  have  you  to  tell  me  ?  " 

"The  Jews,"  the  latter  replied,  "have  agreed  among 
themselves  that  they  will  beg  you  to  have  Paul  brought 
down  before  the  Sanhédrin  on  the  plea  that  they  want 
to  examine  more  closely  into  his  case.  Do  not  yield  to 
them,  for  more  than  forty  of  their  number  are  lying  in 
wait  for  him  :  they  have  taken  an  oath,  binding  them- 
selves by  mighty  curses  neither  to  eat  nor  to  drink  till 
they  have  slain  him,  and  now  they  are  all  ready,  only 
awaiting  your  consent." 

Lysias  dismissed  the  young  man,  with  a  caution  not 
to  disclose  to  any  one  that  he  had  given  the  authorities 
this  information.     His  own  plans  were    formed:   to  get 


378  SAINT  PAUL. 

Paul  out  of  the  way  by  conveying  him  to  Caesarea,  and 
thus  throw  the  responsibility  of  unravelling  this  snarl 
upon  the  Governor  of  Judea.  At  once  he  summoned  a 
couple  of  centurions,  and  gave  them  their  orders  with  as 
much  precision  as  prudence. 

"Get  in  readiness  two  hundred  legionaries,  seventy 
horsemen  and  two  hundred  men  of  the  light  infantry  ;  ^ 
with  these  take  relays  of  horses  for  the  prisoner  to  ride 
on  and  bring  him  in  safety  before  the  Governor  Felix." 
All  must  be  prepared  to  start  by  the  third  hour  of  the 
night  (nine  o'clock  in  the  evening),  for  Lysias  feared  lest 
the  Jews  might  get  wind  of  his  movements,  capture  Paul 
along  the  road,  murder  him,  and  afterwards  accuse  the 
Tribune  himself  of  having  received  a  bribe  to  deliver  him 
into  their  hands.^  Having  taken  all  these  measures,  the 
Tribune  sat  down  and  wrote  the  following  letter  to  the 
Procurator  :  — 

"  Claudius  Lysias,  to  the  Very  Excellent  Felix,  Gov- 
ernor, greeting  ! 

"  The  Jews  had  seized  this  man  and  were  on  the  point 
of  killing  him,  when  I  came  up  with  some  soldiers  and 
rescued  him  from  their  hands,  having  learnt  that  he  was 
a  Roman  citizen.  In  order  to  ascertain  what  he  was 
charged  with,  I  had  him  brought  down  before  their  Coun- 
cil; but  there  I  found  that  he  was  accused  only  of 
certain  things  pertaining  to  their  law,  nor  was  he  charged 

^  Ae|toAc{)8oi.  The  meaning  of  this  word  is  uncertain.  The  Vulgate 
translates  it  lancearios  ;  the  Syriac  Versions  by  jaculatores,  jaculantes 
dextra  {Se^iofioXovs,  Alexandrinus  MS.)  ;  Suidas  and  Phavorinus  by 
irapa<(>v\aK€S,  police  officers.  According  to  Meursius  (  Glossarium  Grœco- 
barbarum)  this  terra  refers  to  the  military  lictors  charged  with  the  cusfodia 
militaris  ;  in  other  words,  with  guarding  the  prisoners  by  attaching  to  their 
left  hand  the  chain  which  was  riveted  to  the  right  wrist  of  the  captive 
{vapà  rh  \a$e7u  rijv  rod  Sca-fiiov  de^idv).  The  most  reasonable  conclusion 
to  be  drawn  from  these  various  explanations  is,  that  it  means  the  lightly 
equipped  soldiery  who  were  consequently  better  fitted  for  speedy  manoeu- 
vres than  were  the  police. 

2  The  reading  given  in  a  MS.  in  cursive  letters  (137),  and  adopted  by 
the  Vulgate.  The  bare  suspicion  that  he  could  be  bribed  would  expose  a 
Roman  magistrate  to  serious  danger.  When  once  convicted  of  having 
sold  his  influence  to  the  Samaritans,  Celer  paid  the  penalty  of  his  dis- 
honesty with  his  life.    Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud.,  xx.  vi.  3  ;  Bel/.  Jud.,  ii.  xii.  7. 


PAUL  ARRESTED.  379 

with  any  crime  meriting  death  or  imprisonment.  Upon 
information  which  has  been  given  me  that  the  Jews  were 
lying  in  ambush  to  kill  him,  I  send  him  to  you  forth- 
with, at  the  same  time  bidding  his  accusers  to  bring 
before  you  any  charges  they  may  have  against  him. 
Farewell."  ^ 

At  the  hour  appointed,  the  military  escort  marched 
forth  from  the  fortress.  All  night  they  marched,  and  so 
rapidly  that  by  sunrise  they  had  reached  the  plains  of 
Sharon  and  Antipatris.^  The  highroad  over  the  hills, 
the  dangerous  stage  in  the  journey,  was  now  passed  ; 
from  Antipatris  to  Caesarea,  through  an  open  country, 
there  was  no  longer  any  fear  of  ambuscades.^  The  de- 
tachment of  four  hundred  infantrymen,  now  no  longer 
needed,  retraced  their  steps  Jerusalemwards,  that  same 
day,  leaving  to  the  cavalry  alone  the  duty  of  conducting 
the  captive  in  safety  to  Csesarea. 

A  few  days  had  sufficed  to  realize  all  the  sad  presenti- 
ments with  which  Paul  had  been  assailed  when  leaving 
this  city  :  he  was  returning  thither  loaded  with  the 
chains  which  he  must  wear  for  four  long  years.  A  cap- 
tivity fraught  with  the  happiest  consequences  neverthe- 
less, one  too  which  the  Apostle  often  thanked  God  for, 
since  it  was  to  constrain  him  to  do  a  work  he  would 
never  have  ventured  upon  of  himself,  —  the  preaching  of 
his  Gospel  for  two  whole  years  in  the  Church  of  Peter 
and  the  capital  of  the  civilized  world. 

1  This  missive  is  really  the  judiciary  report,  or,  as  the  Roman  lawyers 
termed  it,  the  Elogium.  Digest,  xlviii.  3,  6;  xlix.  16,  3;  Daremburg, 
Dictionnaire  des  Antiquités,  Elogium. 

2  The  village  of  Kefr  Saba  still  marks  the  site  and  preserves  the 
ancient  name  of  Antipatris,  Capharsaba  (Ka^ap^d^a,  Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud., 
xiii.  XV.  1  ;  xvi.  v.  2).  Two  Roman  roads  connected  Jerusalem  with  Anti- 
patris :  one  passed  through  Gibeon  and  Bethoron  (Josephus,  Bell.  Jud., 
ii.  19;  viii.  9);  the  other  through  Gophna  (Bihliotheca  Sacra,  1843,  pp. 
481  et  seq.).  It  is  impossible  to  decide  which  of  these  routes  was  taken  by 
the  escort  in  charge  of  the  Apostle.  See  Robinson's  Biblical  Researches, 
iii.  138,  139. 

3  Once  at  Antipatris,  they  had  covered  half  the  way  between  Jerusalem 
and  Csesarea.  The  Itinerary  of  Jerusalem  gives  the  following  distances  : 
Civitas  Nicopoli,  M.  (illia)  XXII.  ;  Civitas  Lidda,  M.  X.  ;  Mutatio  Antipa- 
trida,  M.  X.  ;  Mutatio  Betthar,  M.  X.  ,•   Civitas  Cœsarea,  M.  XVI. 


CHAPTER  XYII. 

THE   PRISONER   OF  CESAREA   IN   PALESTINE. 

Fifteen  years  had  elapsed  since  the  day  when,  with 
the  death  of  Agrippa,  Judea  became  once  more  a  Eoman 
Province.  Yet  even  while  he  laid  this  heaviest  burden 
on  the  children  of  Israel,  Claudius  did  not  forget  that  he 
owed  his  throne  to  one  of  their  race.^  This  he  proved  by 
continuing  the  privilege  which  was  dearest  to  the  Jewish 
heart,  —  absolute  freedom  to  maintain  their  religious 
rites  and  customs.  Orders  were  given  to  the  Roman 
officials,  that  they  must  respect  the  national  worship,  and 
even  render  it  public  homage  :  every  year  victims  were 
to  be  sacrificed  in  the  Temple  in  the  Emperor's  name.^ 

This  kindly  feeling  on  the  part  of  the  sovereign  was 
sufficient  to  assure  to  their  land  —  though  frequently 
shaken  by  revolutionary  outbursts  —  a  government  that 
was  vigorous  as  it  was  equitable  ;  in  any  case  of  injus- 
tice, speedy  reparation  was  always  to  be  had.  A  strik- 
ing instance  of  this  was  the  affair  of  Cumanus,  who, 
for  allowing  himself  to  be  bribed,  suffered  degradation 
from  office  and  was  sentenced  to  banishment.^  Care  was 
taken,  besides,  to  select  such  governors  as  would  be  likely 
to  please  the  Jews.  Felix,  before  whom  Paul  was  to 
appear,  received  his  appointment  at  the  express  request 
of  the  High  Priest  Jonathan.*  He  was  brother  to  Pallas, 
the  all-potent  favorite  of  Claudius,  and  like  him  owed 
his  freedom  to  that  prince.  The  Pontiff  believed  that  it 
was  the  best  policy  to  secure  such  high  patronage  for  his 

^  See  Saint  Peter,  Chap.  X.  and  Appendix  II. 
2  Duruy,  Histoire  des  Romains,  \\.  152. 
^  Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud.,  xx.  vi.  ;  Bell.  Jud.,  ii.  xii. 
^  Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud.,  xx.  viii.  5. 


THE  PRISONER  OF  CjESAREA  IN  PALESTINE.       381 

native  land;  but  as  it  turned  out,  he  had  simply  suc- 
ceeded in  saddling  the  Province  with  an  odious  despot. 
Felix,  they  found,  though  quite  as  unprincipled  as  his 
brother,  had  neither  the  latter's  ability  as  an  administra- 
tor, nor  his  wit  in  the  conduct  of  life  ;  the  kingly  powers 
granted  him  aroused  only  his  ambition.  In  his  govern- 
ment he  betrayed  the  soul  of  the  slave  ^  that  he  once 
was  :  cruel,  dissolute,  greedy  for  spoils,  in  one  instance 
he  would  restrain  the  robber  hordes,  in  another  enrich 
himself  with  their  booty,  and  sometimes  even  make  them 
the  instruments  of  his  revenge  :  the  High  Priest,  having 
been  so  imprudent  as  to  reproach  him  for  his  exactions, 
fell  pierced  by  the  daggers  of  these  his  hired  assassins.^ 
The  impunity  enjoyed  by  Felix,  thanks  to  his  brother's 
influence  at  court,  made  it  possible  for  him  to  go  to 
almost  any  lengths  :  ^  three  queens  in  succession  became 
his  wife.*  The  woman  who  was  sharing  his  fortunes 
at  this  date  was  Drusilla,  a  sister  of  Herod  Agrippa  II. 
She  was  renowned  for  her  beauty  among  all  the  daugh- 
ters of  Israel,  and  had  been  given  in  marriage  to  Aziz, 
King  of  Emesa  ;  the  infamous  wiles  of  a  magician,  who 
was  Felix's  creature,  alienated  her  from  this  first  hus- 
band, and  won  her  over  to  the  adulterous  Procurator.^ 

Faithless  and  shameless  as  he  was  in  his  private  life, 
this  man  was  so  imbued  with  the  juridical  instincts  of 
the  Eomans,  that  when  once  he  entered  the  Prœtorium 
he  recovered  all  the  respect  of  his  race  for  legal  forms. 
He  read  Lysias's  letter  now  delivered  to  him  by  the  cen- 
turion who  had  been  intrusted  with  the  custody  of  Paul.*^ 
This  document  was  as  favorable  as  possible  to  the  ac- 
cused ;  not  only  did  it  contain  no  charge  against  him,  it 
rather  represented  him  as  a  victim  of  Jewish  fanaticism, 
a  Eoman  citizen  well  deserving  of  protection  from  their 

1  "  Antonius  Felix,  per  omnem  saevitiam  et  libidinem,  jus  regium  ser- 
vili  ingenio  exercuit."     Tacitus,  Hist.,  v.  9, 

2  Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud.,  xx.  viii.  5;  Bell.  Jiid.,  ii.  xiii.  3. 

^  "  Cuncta  malefacta  sibi  impune  ratus."     Tacitus,  Annal,  xii.  54. 
*  "  Trium  reginarum  maritus."     Suetonius,  Claudius,  28. 
^  Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud.,  xix.  ix.  1  ;  xx.  vii.  2. 
®  See  ante,  p.  379,  note  1. 


382  SAINT  PAUL. 

wrath.  Paul  was  therefore  received  with  due  considera- 
tion. The  Procurator  inquired  as  to  the  Province  he 
belonged  to  ;  and  on  learning  that  he  was  from  Cilicia 
he  remarked,  "  I  will  hear  you  when  your  accusers  shall 
have  arrived."  Thereupon  he  gave  orders  to  have  him 
lodged  together  with  his  guard,  not  in  the  prison,  but 
in  his  own  residence,  which  had  once  been  the  palace  of 
Herod. 

At  Jerusalem,  in  the  mean  while,  Lysias  had  intimated 
to  the  accusing  party,  that,  as  the  case  had  been  trans- 
ferred to  the  court  of  Felix,  they  might  carry  their  com- 
plaints thither.  Ananias  decided  to  appear  there  in 
person.  Three  days  later,^  this  Pontiff  made  his  entrance 
into  Ceesarea,  accompanied  by  certain  members  of  the 
Sanhédrin.  Not  having  had  himself  any  experience  in 
judicial  debates,  and  unable  to  speak  Greek  with  fluency, 
he  saw  fit  to  take  with  him  a  foreign  lawyer  by  the  name 
of  Tertullus.2  This  man  was  one  of  those  young  Eomans 
who,  in  the  hope  of  rising  more  speedily  in  their  profes- 
sion, were  in  the  habit  of  accompanying  the  governors 
into  their  Provinces  and  there  acting  as  special  plead- 
ers for  the  inhabitants  of  the  district.^  Ananias's  first 
thought  was  to  urge  an  immediate  trial  before  the  Gov- 
ernor's tribunal.    The  hearing  was  granted  without  delay. 

Tertullus  began  by  pronouncing  an  harangue  according 
to  the  most  approved  forms  of  rhetoric.  In  his  exor- 
dium, whereby  he  sought  to  enlist  the  sympathy  and 
favor  of  the  judge,  he  was  profuse  in  his  praise  of  "  the 

1  "  Five  days  thereafter,  Ananias  came  down  "  (Acts  xxiv.  1  )  ;  that  is, 
five  days  after  the  Apostle  left  Jerusalem.  We  must  interpret  these  words 
from  the  Acts  thus,  in  order  to  harmonize  them  with  S.  Paul's  own  state- 
ment above  (xxiv.  1 1  )  that  but  twelve  days  had  elapsed  since  he  went  up 
to  the  Holy  City. 

2  The  name  Tertullus  (a  diminutive  form  for  Tertius)  would  indicate 
that  this  advocate  was  either  from  Rome  or  Italy.  The  arguments  were 
carried  on  in  Greek  ;  for  the  attempts  hitherto  made  to  force  judicial 
pleaders  to  use  the  Latin  tongue  in  the  Provinces  had  failed  (Valerius 
Maximus,  ii.  2).  Under  the  Empire,  Greek  was  often  used,  not  only  in 
the  Provinces,  but  in  Rome  itself.  Dio  Cassius,  Ivii.  15;  Ix.  8,  16,  17. 
Suetonius,  Tiberius,  71  ;  Nero,  7. 

3  In  like  manner  Cœlius  made  his  maiden  effort  in  Africa.  Cicero, 
Pro  Coelio,  30. 


THE  PRISONER  OF  C^SAREA  IN  PA  LESTINE.      383 

Most  Excellent  Felix,"  of  his  unfailing  equity,  his  wise 
foresight,  and  the  salutary  measures  he  had  taken  to 
secure  an  unbroken  peace  to  the  land.  (His  suppression 
of  a  few  brigand  bands  gave  this  bit  of  flattery  more  or 
less  the  appearance  of  truth.^)  He  went  on  to  utter  the 
humblest  sentiments  of  gratitude  in  the  name  of  his  cli- 
ents, till,  coming  to  the  accusations  he  was  commissioned 
to  urge  against  Paul,  he  made  use  of  these  words  :  — 

"  This  fellow,  a  veritable  pest,  is  stirring  up  seditions 
among  the  Jews  scattered  over  the  world  ;  he  is  the  ring- 
leader of  the  sect  of  Nazarenes  ;  he  has  even  attempted 
to  desecrate  the  Temple." 

We  must  suppose  that,  as  a  young  lawyer,  Tertullus 
either  had  not  much  experience  before  the  bar,  or  that 
his  eagerness  to  espouse  the  quarrel  of  the  Jews  had 
blinded  his  judgment  ;  for,  forgetting  the  respect  due  to 
the  Eoman  authority  before  which  he  was  now  pleading, 
he  went  on  to  lay  all  the  blame  at  Lysias's  door.  Accord- 
ing to  his  version,  it  was  the  Tribune's  hasty  intervention 
which  had  caused  all  this  trouble.  Why  had  he  not  left 
it  to  the  Sanhédrin  to  decide  in  a  matter  which  they  had 
once  taken  up,  —  one  that  belonged  to  them  by  every 
right.  This  version  of  the  plaintiffs'  side  was  most  ac- 
ceptable to  the  Jews  present,  who  confirmed  everything 
adduced  by  their  spokesman  ;  it  was  not  likely  to  impress 
Felix,  however,  whose  opinion  had  been  already  influenced 
by  the  report  forwarded  by  Lysias.  The  Governor  made 
a  sign  to  Paul  that  he  might  speak  in  his  own  defence. 

The  Apostle,  as  we  have  seen,  would  yield  to  no  one  in 
the  art  of  winning  men's  minds  ;  accordingly,  he  began 
by  congratulating  himself  on  having  as  his  judge  a  chief 
magistrate  initiated  for  these  many  years  past  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  country's  interests  ;  ^  thereupon  he 
took  up  the  accusations  wherewith  he  had  been  charged. 
Only  about  twelve  days  had  passed  since  he  quitted 
Csesarea  on  his  way  up  to  Jerusalem,  whither  he  went  as  a 

^  Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud.,  xx.  viii.  5,  6. 

2  Felix  was  Procurator  from  53  to  61.  The  usual  term  for  this  office 
did  not  exceed  two  or  three  years. 


384  SAINT  PAUL. 

pilgrim  worshiper.^  In  this  short  interval  no  man  had 
ever  seen  him  "disputing  with  any  one,  or  causing  a 
concourse  of  people,  either  in  the  Temple,  or  in  the  syna- 
gogues, or  in  the  town."  This  bold  protestation  met  with 
no  denial  from  his  prosecutors.  To  this  Paul  called  the 
attention  of  Felix:  "They  cannot  maintain  this  point 
which  they  are  accusing  me  of." 

"  This  much  is  true,"  he  added,  "  and  I  confess  it  before 
thee,  that  I  follow  that  Way  which  they  call  a  heresy  ; 
therein  I  serve  the  God  of  our  fathers,  believing  all  that 
is  written  in  the  Law  and  the  Prophets,  hoping  in  God 
as  they  do  themselves,  and  trusting  that  all  men,  just 
and  unjust,  shall  some  day  rise  again.  Wherefore  I  am 
careful  to  keep  my  conscience  ever  pure  of  all  reproach 
towards  God  and  towards  men."  As  for  the  Temple 
which  they  accuse  me  of  desecrating,  "I  came  thither 
after  several  years  to  give  alms  to  my  nation,  and  fulfil 
unto  God  my  vows  and  my  offerings.  I  was  engaged  in 
these  religious  duties  when  they  came  upon  me  in  the 
Sanctuary,  having  but  recently  undergone  purification, 
and  not  gathering  together  a  multitude  about  me  nor 
causing  a  tumult.  The  men  who  discovered  me  there 
were  certain  Jews  from  Asia  ;  these  men  ought  to  have 
been  here  before  thee  to  accuse  me,  if  they  have  anything 
to  object  against  me.  In  their  absence,  at  least  let  those 
who  are  here  tell  what  crime  they  found  me  guilty 
of  when  I  appeared  before  the  Sanhédrin,  except  it  be 
perchance  those  words  which  I  cried  out  as  I  stood  in 
the  midst  of  them,  *  Concerning  the  Kesurrection  of  the 
dead  I  am  this  day  brought  in  judgment  before  you.'  " 

Once  more  Paul  adroitly  rested  his  case  on  this  well 
known  difference  in  doctrinal  teaching  between  him  and 
his  accusers.     Felix,  from  his  long  sojourn  in  Palestine, 

1  These  twelve  days  have  been  variously  computed.  The  most  natural 
reckoning  (that  adopted  by  Meyer,  De  Wette,  etc.)  would  seem  to  be  as 
follows  ••  1st  day,  arrival  in  Jerusalem;  2d  day,  his  visit  to  James;  from 
3d  to  7th,  fulfilment  of  the  Nazarite's  vow;  8th  day,  the  sitting  of  the 
Sanhédrin  ;  9th  day,  departure  from  Jerusalem  ;  13th  (i.  e.  five  days  after 
this  departure,  Acts  xxiv.  1),  or  perliaps  the  12th,  the  hearing  before 
Felix. 


THE  PRISONER  OF  C^  S  ARE  A  IN  PALESTINE.     385 

and  from  his  union  with  a  daughter  of  the  house  of 
Israel,  was  better  versed  in  Jewish  doctrines  than  the 
majority  of  Eoman  officers  ;  he  was  not  unaware  of  the 
part  this  belief  in  a  Eesurrection  played  in  the  quarrels 
between  Pharisees  and  Sadducees.  Seeing  that  no  one 
gainsaid  the  Apostle's  statements,  he  thought  best  to 
adjourn  the  hearing. 

"  When  the  Tribune  Lysias  comes  down,"  he  said,  "  I 
will  give  judgment  in  this  matter." 

In  the  interim,  he  commanded  the  centurion  in  charge 
of  the  Apostle  to  treat  him  with  kindness  ;  he  ordered 
his  chains  removed  for  the  time,  and  gave  permission  to 
his  disciples  to  visit  and  perform  any  service  for  their 
master.^ 

The  affair  had  caused  considerable  comment  in  Csesarea  ; 
Felix's  consort,  Drusilla,^  was  desirous  of  knowing  this 
man  of  her  own  nation  who  had  so  far  disturbed  the 
High  Priest  and  Sanhédrin  ;  she  was  still  more  curious 
to  hear  what  he  might  have  to  say  concerning  the  New 
Faith  in  a  Crucified  Messiah.  The  Governor  yielded  to 
her  wishes  ;  a  few  days  later  he  had  Paul  summoned 
before  him  again.  The  very  sight  of  this  high-born 
Jewess,  then  in  the  zenith  of  her  beauty,  seated  beside  a 
man  of  slavish  origin  who  was  at  this  moment  master  of 

1  Under  the  Republic,  the  accused  who  enjoyed  the  rights  of  a  Roman 
citizen  was  not  subjected  to  any  preventive  imprisonment  ;  the  only  excep- 
tion was  in  cases  of  confessed  criminals  and  those  caught  in  the  act  (Digest, 
De  Custod.,  xlviii.  3  ;  Mommsen,  Rom.  Gesch.,  ii.  106,  2d  éd.).  These 
guaranties  disappeared  with  the  advent  of  the  Empire.  In  the  Provinces  it 
belonged  to  the  Governor  to  decide  whether  the  case  justified  a  provisory 
detention  of  the  prisoner,  or  whether  he  should  release  him  on  his  own 
recognizance  or  on  bail  (Daremberg,  Diet,  des  Antiq.,  Custodia).  As 
the  Acts  states  that  Paul  was  returned  to  the  custody  of  a  centurion,  it  is 
evident  that  Felix  put  him  under  military  guard,  custodia  militaris. 
Howbeit,  he  bids  them  make  his  confinement  as  little  burdensome  as  pos- 
sible (exetj/  6.vi(nv)  and  doubtless  ordered  him  to  be  relieved  of  the  chains 
Avhich,  upon  leaving  the  Provinces,  he  commanded  him  to  wear  again 
(/caTeAiTrej/  rhv  TlavXov  Sçdçfiévoj/,  Acts  xxiv,  27). 

2  Felix  had  two  wives  of  this  name  :  one  the  daughter  of  Juba,  King 
of  Mauritania,  and  granddaughter  of  Antony  and  Cleopatra  (Tacitus, 
Hist.,  V.  9)  ;  and  the  one  we  are  now  speaking  of,  a  daughter  of  Herod 
Agrippa  I.  and  sister  of  Agrippa  II.  The  son  which  she  had  by  her  union 
with  Felix  perished  with  her  in  the  eruption  of  Vesuvius,  during  the  reign 
of  Titus  (Joseph us,  Ant.  Jud.,  xx.  vii.  2) 

25 


386  SAINT  PAUL. 

Israel,  —  this  spectacle  harrowed  the  very  soul  of  the 
Apostle.  In  the  presence  of  the  adulterous  pair  he  spoke 
with  such  thrilling  power  "  of  righteousness,  chastity,  and 
the  coming  Day  of  Judgment"  that  Felix  was  shaken 
with  fear. 

"  Hold  !  that  will  do  for  the  present,"  he  said  to  Paul  ; 
"  I  will  have  thee  recalled,  when  time  permits,"  —  and 
with  these  words  he  conducted  Drusilla  from  the  audience 
hall. 

The  Apostle  had  gained  the  ascendency  over  the  mind 
of  this  man,  for,  corrupt  as  he  was,  the  Koman  was  still 
capable  of  seeing  the  truth,  perhaps  of  even  feeling  some 
remorse.  Often  after  this  Felix  would  call  the  captive 
into  his  presence  and  talk  with  him  ;  for  there  was  always 
something  to  charm  the  listener  in  these  conversations, 
—  allusions  to  the  various  events  which  had  illustrated 
the  twenty  years  of  his  Apostolate  amid  peoples  of  such 
diverse  customs  and  characters,  his  burning  eloquence, 
and  the  accent  of  truth  with  which  Paul  set  forth  his 
beliefs.  Another  and  far  less  creditable  motive  soon  crept 
into  the  mind  of  the  Procurator,  and  excited  his  selfish 
passions.  Inferring  from  the  prisoner's  own  narrative,  as 
well  as  from  the  alms  presented  by  him  to  Jerusalem, 
that  his  influence  must  be  very  great  in  the  Churches  of 
the  Gentiles,  he  flattered  himself  that  here  was  a  chance 
for  extorting  a  handsome  ransom.^  But  Paul  refused  to 
listen  to  any  hints  of  such  a  character.  This  was  equiv- 
alent to  dooming  himself  to  a  protracted  imprisonment. 
And  thus  it  came  about  that  Felix,  who  durst  not  either 
offend  the  Jews  or  pass  an  unjust  sentence  which  would 
recoil  on  himself  in  case  of  appeal,  allowed  the  matter  to 
drag  on. 

In  this  weary  waiting,  two  whole  years  were  spent  by 

1  The  Julian  Law  (Digest,  xl.  11,  3)  forbade  judges  to  abuse  their  func- 
tions by  any  attempts  at  extorting  money  from  the  accused  ;  but  when  so 
far  away  from  Rome,  the  Governors  of  Provinces  paid  small  heed  to  such 
enactments.  The  second  successor  of  Felix,  Albinus,  practised  this  sort  of 
exaction  so  freely;  that  under  his  rule,  none  remained  in  prison  save  such 
criminals  as  were  too  poor  to  purchase  their  freedom  (Josephus,  Bell. 
Jud.,  xiv.  ii,  1). 


THE  PRISONER  OF  C^SAREA  IN  PALESTINE.       387 

the  captive  in  the  palace  of  Ctesarea.  He  enjoyed,  as  we 
have  seen,  very  great  freedom,  since  prisoners  simply  held 
for  trial,  especially  those  whose  rank  or  peculiar  circum- 
stances recommended  them  to  the  consideration  of  the 
chief  magistrate,  were  only  subject  to  detention  in  the 
quarters  of  the  custodians  who  were  responsible  for 
their  safe-keeping.  Paul  rejoiced  in  the  thought  that  he 
was  deemed  worthy  to  suffer  this  much  for  the  love  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  still  happier  at  being  able  to 
preach,  for  he  was  allowed  to  continue  his  Apostolic 
labors  among  the  brethren,  who  had  free  access  to  him. 
Many  of  his  disciples  were  come  thither  to  be  near  him, 
and  these  were  also  the  most  zealous  of  his  sons  in 
Christ,  —  Timothy,  Luke,  Aristarchus  of  Thessalonica, 
Tychicus,  and  Trophimus.  Through  them,  and  thanks 
to  the  constant  communication  kept  up  between  Csesarea 
in  Palestine  and  the  Mediterranean  ports,  the  Apostle 
could  get  news  from  his  Churches  and  provide  for  their 
spiritual  wants.  The  correspondence  carried  on  during 
his  captivity  here  has  not,  like  that  from  Ptome,  left  us 
with  any  important  productions  of  his  genius  ;  but  in 
compensation  for  this  loss,  we  can  feel  well  assured  that 
one  of  the  noblest  of  our  Sacred  Books,  the  third  Gospel, 
had  its  origin  in  this  epoch  of  his  life.  It  was  then  that 
Luke,  feeling  that  much  was  lacking  to  complete  the 
story  of  Jesus's  Life  as  Paul  was  wont  to  describe  it,  con- 
ceived the  plan  of  supplying  these  gaps  in  the  spoken 
Gospel  by  writing  out  the  Divine  Narrative  more  in 
detail.  The  exactness  he  shows  when  treating  of  matters 
touching  the  Law,  Mosaical  usages,  and  the  topography 
of  Palestine,  would  all  seem  to  prove  that  the  writer  was 
in  this  region  when  he  compiled  his  work.  But  the  influ- 
ence exercised  over  him  by  his  master,  the  Apostle  of  the 
Nations,  is  in  Luke's  version  even  more  noticeable  than 
any  facts  gained  by  contact  with  his  brethren  of  Judea  : 
in  Paul  and  in  Luke  we  constantly  encounter  the  same 
views,  the  same  doctrines,  often  the  selfsame  forms  of 
speech.^     In  the  long  leisure  afforded  him  by  his  captiv- 

^  Comely,  Introd.  Specialis  in  Sing.  N.  T.  Libros,  p.  131. 


388  SAINT  PAUL. 

ity,  Paul  inspired  and  perfected  the  work  of  his  disciple, 
thus  making  it  really  what  from  the  earliest  days  it  was 
believed  to  be,  —  his  own  Gospel.  ^ 

This  state  of  things  had  lasted  for  two  years,  without 
any  sign  on  Felix's  part  that  the  end  was  any  nearer, 
when  one  of  the  seditious  outbreaks  which  so  fre- 
quently disturbed  the  peace  of  Judea  happened  to  change 
the  course  of  events.  A  riot  occurred  in  the  market- 
place of  Cœsarea,  caused  by  dissensions  between  the 
Jews  and  Greeks,  who  made  up  most  of  the  population 
of  the  city.  The  Greeks  were  having  the  worst  of  it, 
when  Felix  hastened  up  with  his  troops  to  restore  order. 
He  commanded  the  Jews  to  disperse,  and,  on  their  refus- 
ing to  obey,  bade  his  legionaries  charge  the  mob.  The 
slaughter  of  many  citizens,  and  the  sacking  of  houses 
belonging  to  the  wealthiest  Israelites,  were  the  conse- 
quences of  this  insignificant  riot.  The  disproportion  be- 
between  the  punishment  and  the  offence  aroused  the  in- 
dignation of  the  whole  country,  and  tidings  of  it  found 
their  way  to  Eome.  Claudius  was  no  more,  and  Pallas 
had  lost  his  position  of  influence  ;  ^  Israel,  on  the  other 
hand,  now  possessed  friends  at  court  of  no  mean  abilities, 
one  especially,  a  Jewish  proselyte  named  Poppsea,  who 
swayed  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  Nero.^  Felix,  de- 
nounced by  his  victims,  in  due  course  received  notice  to 
appear  before  the  Emperor  ;  all  that  his  brother  Pallas 
could  do  was  to  save  him  from  death  ;  disgraced,  stripped 
of  almost  all  the  fruits  of  his  iniquitous  gains,  he  finally 
died  in  obscurity.*  One  of  his  last  acts  before  quitting 
Judea  was  to  insure  Paul's  being  kept  a  prisoner,  and 

1  "Nomine  suo  ex  opinione  ejus  [Pauli]  conscripsit."  Fragment  from 
Muratori  (171).  —  "  Lucae  digestum  Paulo  adscribere  soient."  Tertullian, 
Contr.  Marc.  iv.  5. — "  Lucas,  sectator  Pauli,  quod  ab  illo  prœdicabatur 
Evangelium  in  libro  condidit."  S.  Irenaeus,  Adv.  Hœres.,  iii.  1.  Clement 
of  Alexandria,  Stromata,  i.  21  ;  Origen,  In  Matt.,  t.  i.,  etc.  These  summary 
views  concerning  the  Third  Gospel  will  be  further  developed  in  another 
volume,  where  we  shall  examine  S.  Luke's  work  more  particularly. 

2  Tacitus,  Annales,  xiii.  14. 

^  Tfj   -yvvaiKi   liloTnrr}la   (dçocrcfirjs  yap   -^u)    virhp  tSov  'louSa/cwi/   Se7j0et<r?j 
XaptCô/J-^vos.     Josephus,  Antiq.  J  ad.,  xx.  viii.  11  ;    Vita,  3. 
^  Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud.,  xx.  viii.  7,  9;  Bell.  Jud.,  ii.  xiii.  7. 


THE  PRISONER  OF  C^SAREA  IN  PALESTINE.      389 

even  to  add  to  his  hardships.  "  He  left  Paul  in  chains," 
says  the  Acts,  —  hoping  thereby  to  mollify  the  Jews,^  and 
make  them  a  little  less  relentless  in  their  attacks. 

Porcins  Festus,  who  was  appointed  as  his  successor, 
proved  to  be  a  chief  magistrate  notable  for  his  firmness, 
uprightness,  and  devotion  to  duty^^  Three  days  after  his 
landing  at  Csesarea  he  went  up  to  Jerusalem,  eager  to 
form  for  himself  his  opinions  of  the  Jews  and  that  at  the 
centre  of  national  life.  The  leading  men  of  the  people 
and  the  priesthood  hastened  to  pay  court  to  him,  and  at 
their  head  appeared  the  new  High  Priest  whom  Agrippa 
had  set  up  in  the  place  of  Ananias, — Ismaël,  son  of  Phabi.^ 
The  quiet  of  the  past  two  years  had  by  no  means  lulled 
their  vengeance.  They  demanded  of  Festus,  as  a  largess 
from  the  incoming  Governor,  that  he  should  send  back 
the  captive  Apostle  to  Jerusalem,  for  they  had  again 
planned  to  waylay  him  on  the  road.  In  fact,  they  had 
hired  for  this  purpose  one  of  those  bands  of  assassins, 
who,  when  once  their  murderous  object  was  attained, 
scattered  over  the  mountains,  leaving  no  traces  of  their 
whereabouts  on  the  appearance  of  the  Eoman  police. 
The  straightforward  honesty  of  Festus's  character  foiled 
all  their  machinations.  He  answered  that  it  was  no  part 
of  his  duty  to  play  fast  and  loose  with  the  reputation 
and  lives  of  his  prisoners,  or  to  regard  his  responsibilities 
as  a  gift  to  be  shared  with  any  favorites  whatever.  Paul 
was  in  custody  at  Caesarea,  and  there  he  must  remain  for 
trial;  he  himself,  within  a  few  days,  was  to  return  to 
that  city.  "  Let  the  leading  men  among  you  come  thither 
with  me,"  he  added,  "  and  if  this  man  has  committed  any 
crime,  let  them  prefer  their  accusations." 

Festus  did  in  fact  remain  but  eight  or  ten  days  in 
Jerusalem,  and  re-entered  Csesarea  with  some  of  those 
Jews  most  bitterly  opposed  to  Paul  in  his  train.  On  the 
very  next  day  the  Governor  took  his  seat  on  the  judi- 
cial bench,  and  ordered  Paul  to  be  brought  before  him. 
No  sooner  had  he  appeared  in  court  than  the  Jews  from 

*  Acts  xxiv.  7. 

2  Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud.,  xx  viii.  9,  10,  11.  ^  /^/c?.^  xx.  viii.  8. 


390  SAINT  PAUL. 

Jerusalem  flocked  about  Festus,  and  began  accusing  the 
Apostle  of  various  offences  ;  howbeit,  when  it  came  to  a 
question  of  proof,  they  found  that  their  bare  assertions 
carried  no  weight.  Thereupon,  remembering  what  effect 
the  same  cry  had  had  upon  the  mind  of  the  weak  Pilate 
at  the  trial  of  Jesus,  they  attempted  by  the  same  calumny 
to  destroy  Paul.  "  He  is  a  traitor  against  Cœsar,"  they 
shouted. 

But  they  had  to  do  with  a  man  of  a  very  different 
metal.  Festus  granted  the  accused  full  liberty  to  defend 
himself,  and  clearly  establish  that  he  had  transgressed 
"  neither  the  law  of  the  Jews,  nor  against  the  Temple, 
nor  against  Csesar." 

This  short  debate  sufficed  to  prove  beyond  a  doubt  that 
Felix  was  justified  in  regarding  this  as  a  mere  dispute 
about  doctrines  between  Jews  ;  perhaps  the  Judge  in  this 
instance  perceived  that  he  would  be  forced  to  give  sen- 
tence against  the  plaintiffs  ;  any  way,  he  thought  it  pru- 
dent to  consult  their  feelings,  and  therefore  reverted  to 
their  former  demand. 

"  Are  you  willing  to  go  to  Jerusalem,"  he  asked  Paul, 
"  and  there  be  tried  before  me  for  these  matters  whereof 
you  stand  accused  ?  " 

This  expedient,  which  would  greatly  lessen  his  difficul- 
ties, would  also  ingratiate  him  with  the  Jews  ;  he  pro- 
posed it,  however,  in  perfect  sincerity  and  good  will  ;  for, 
although  he  was  in  ignorance  of  the  plots  going  on  in  the 
Sanhédrin,  Festus  meant  to  conduct  the  prisoner  to  Jeru- 
salem in  person,  preside  at  the  trial,  and  protect  him  from 
any  violence. 

Paul  had  no  mind  to  accept  this  offer.  Perhaps  he 
suspected  that  they  would  be  lying  in  wait  for  him  again 
on  the  return  march  ;  in  any  event,  he  foresaw  that  another 
hearing  at  Jerusalem  would  only  culminate  in  a  scene  of 
abuse  and  outrage  which  would  not  further  his  cause. 
Eome,  on  the  contrary,  offered  him  the  surest  guaranties 
of  fair  treatment  ;  accordingly,  he  insisted  on  his  right  to 
be  tried  there. 

"I  stand  here  before  Cesar's  Tribunal,"  he  said,  ''and 


THE  PRISONER  OF  CyESAREA  IN  PALESTINE.      391 

there  I  ought  to  be  judged.  I  have  done  no  wrong  to 
the  Jews,  as  thou  thyself  knowest  full  well.  If  I  have 
injured  them,  or  if  I  have  committed  any  crime  worthy  of 
death,  I  refuse  not  to  die  ;  but  if  nothing  is  true  of  all 
that  they  accuse  me,  no  man  can  deliver  me  over  to  them. 
I  appeal  unto  Cassar." 

These  words  cut  short  any  further  discussion,  for  the 
Eoman  citizen,  whosoever  he  might  be,  had  only  to  utter 
this  wish,  and  thereby  his  case  was  transferred  to  the 
Emperor's  jurisdiction.^  Thereby  the  provincial  magis- 
trates were  rendered  powerless,  and  forced  to  comply  by 
forwarding  the  accused  to  Eome.  The  dearest  longing  of 
Paul's  heart  was  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  that  city,  and 
hence  he  had  a  personal  reason  for  seizing  the  first  oppor- 
tunity to  hasten  its  accomplishment. 

Festus  had  not  anticipated  this  step  on  the  prisoner's 
part;  he  turned  to  the  councillors  who  surrounded  him, 
to  get  their  advice.^  The  answer  was  plain  and  unmis- 
takable :  save  in  cases  of  confessed  criminals,  or  those 
caught  in  the  act,  any  formal  appeal  must  be  granted. 
So  then  there  was  nothing  left  for  Festus  to  do  but  to 
declare,  "  Thou  hast  appealed  unto  Caesar,  to  Csesar  thou 
shalt  go." 

After  this  he  was  only  waiting  for  some  opportunity 
of  transferring  the  Apostle,  when  one  of  the  most  notable 
events  in  this  long  captivity  took  place.  Only  a  few  days 
after  the  audience  we  have  just  been  describing,  Herod 
Agrippa  IL,  with  his  sister  Berenice,  arrived  in  Caesarea. 
This  grandson  of  the  great  Herod  could  only  boast  of  a 

1  The  right,  possessed  by  every  Roman  citizen,  of  appealing  to  the 
Emperor,  arose  from  the  fact  that  Augustus  had  arrogated  to  himself  all 
the  powers  which  once  belonged  to  the  Tribunes'  Court,  and  consequently 
the  right  of  intercession  from  the  rulings  of  other  magistrates.  Little  by 
little,  this  right  of  appeal  had  not  merely  the  effect  of  paralyzing  or  annul- 
ling a  sentence,  as  was  the  case  with  the  Intercesslo  :  it  became  really  the 
right  to  resort  to  a  higher  tribunal,  which  had  the  power  of  quashing  or 
revising  the  sentence  of  the  lower  courts.  Daremberg,  Diet,  des  Antiq,, 
Appellatio. 

2  Governors  of  Provinces  had  a  staff  of  councillors,  whom  they  chose 
themselves.  Dio  Cassius,  liii.  14,  Cicero,  In  Verr.,  Act  ii.  1,  ii.  32. 
Suetonius,  Tiberius,  33,  etc. 


392  SAINT  PAUL. 

tithe  of  the  power  wielded  by  his  ancestor,  —  such  as  the 
government  of  Chalcis  ^  and  a  few  other  cities,  the  pro- 
tectorship of  the  Temple,  the  election  of  the  High  Priest, 
and  the  title  of  King,  but  with  no  power  in  the  affairs 
of  Judea,  and  holding  his  authority  at  the  discretion  of 
Kome.2  xhis  condition  of  dependence  made  it  obligatory 
for  Agrippa  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  new  Procurator  : 
this  he  did  without  delay,  and  brought  with  him  his 
sister,  who  shared  his  crown  as  she  did  his  existence, 
and  for  this  last  cause  was  bitterly  decried.^  As  they 
made  a  long  stay  in  Caesarea,  the  conversation  very  natu- 
rally turned  on  the  story  of  the  heroic  prisoner. 

"  There  is  here,"  Festus  told  them,  "  a  man  whom  Felix 
left  a  prisoner;  the  Princes  of  the  priesthood  and  the 
Elders  of  the  Jews  appeared  to  accuse  him  when  I  was 
in  Jerusalem,  demanding  that  I  should  give  sentence 
against  him.  I  answered  them  that  it  is  not  the  custom 
among  Komans  to  condemn  any  one  before  the  accused 

1  Chalcis  was  the  capital  of  the  little  kingdom  which  had  been  founded 
by  Herod,  brother  of  Agrippa  I.  Its  ruins,  mingling  with  those  of  the 
more  recent  town  of  Anjar,  lie  a  little  to  the  north  of  the  road  from 
Bey  rout  to  Damascus,  between  Liban  us  and  Anti-Li  banus.  Robinson, 
Biblical  Researches,  vol.  iii.  p.  496  et  seq. 

2  As  he  was  too  young  upon  the  death  of  Agrippa  I.  (44)  to  succeed 
him,  this  Prince  was  detained  at  Rome  for  several  years,  and  only  succeeded 
in  obtaining  from  Claudius  a  small  part  of  his  father's  domains,  to  wit,  the 
Principality  of  Chalcis  (Josephus,  Ant.  Jud.,  xx.  v.  2)  ;  later  on  he  was 
given  Philip's  Tetrarchy,  Batanœa,  Trachonitis,  and  Abilene  (Ibid.,  xx. 
vii.  1);  finally,  under  Nero,  he  got  possession  of  Tiberias,  Tarichœa, 
Julias,  and  a  few  outlying  villages  (Ibid.,  xx.  viii.  4).  Although  he  had 
the  title  of  King  (Ibid.,  Bell,  Jud.,  ii.  xii.  8)  and  the  superintendence  of  the 
Temple  at  Jerusalem  (Ibid.,  Ant.  Jud.,  xv.  i.  3),  he  never  reigned  over  Judea. 
He  took  sides  with  the  Romans  in  the  war  which  completed  the  ruin  of 
his  country,  and  died  in  Trajan's  reign,  at  the  age  of  seventy. 

3  Josephus,  Ant.  Jud.,  xx.  vii.  3  ;  Juvenal,  Sat.,  vi.  v.  156  et  seq.  This 
Princess,  eldest  daughter  of  Herod  Agrippa  I.,  had  married  her  uncle, 
Herod,  Prince  of  Chalcis.  After  his  death,  she  lived  in  Rome  v/ith  her 
brother,  Herod  Agrippa  II.  The  disgraceful  rumors  current  concerning 
their  relations  induced  her  to  marry  Polemo,  King  of  Cilicia  ;  but  this 
marriage  was  speedily  broken  off.  Later  on,  Berenice  exercised  an  influ- 
ence over  Titus  which  made  her  name  renowned  in  Roman  history  : 
"  Suspecta  in  eo  libido  .  .  .  propter  insignem  reginœ  Berenices  amorem, 
cui  etiam  nuptias  pollicitus  ferebatur  .  .  .  Berenicen  .  .  •  ab  Urbe  dimisit, 
invitus  invitam."  Suetonius,  Titus,  7.  Tacitus,  Hist.,  ii.  2.  Dio  Cassius, 
Ixvi.  15.  18. 


THE  PRISONER  OF  C^SAREA  IN  PALESTINE.      393 

be  brought  face  to  face  with  his  accusers,  with  full  liberty 
to  defend  hiraself.  Accordingly,  when  they  were  come 
hither,  making  no  delay,  I  seated  myself  in  the  tribunal 
on  the  following  day,  and  ordered  the  man  to  be  produced. 
His  accusers  when  brought  face  to  face  with  him  did  not 
charge  him  with  any  of  the  crimes  I  had  expected  they 
would  reproach  him  with  ;  but  they  entered  on  a  dispute 
concerning  their  superstitions,  and  a  certain  Jesus,  now 
dead,  whom  Paul  asserted  to  be  still  alive.  Not  seeing  my 
way  clear  to  settle  such  a  business,  I  asked  this  man  if 
he  was  willing  to  go  up  to  Jerusalem  to  be  tried  there  on 
all  these  headings  ;  but  he  appealed  from  this,  and  de- 
sired his  case  to  be  reserved  for  the  decision  of  Augustus. 
Accordingly  I  ordered  him  to  be  held  in  custody  until  I 
can  send  him  to  Csesar." 

"  I,  too,"  said  Agrippa,  "  should  very  much  like  to  hear 
this  man." 

"So  be  it  !  "  was  Festus's  reply,  "  to-morrow  you  shall 
hear  him  speak." 

Thus  it  happened  that  on  the  next  day  Agrippa  and 
Berenice  betook  themselves  to  the  audience  chamber  in 
all  the  pomp  and  splendor  befitting  their  royal  rank,  for 
Festus,  to  show  his  appreciation  of  their  prompt  adhesion, 
had  tendered  them  the  first  position  in  public  gatherings. 
The  Eoman  officers,  with  the  most  prominent  personages 
in  the  city,  who  composed  the  sovereign's  suite,  gave  this 
assembly  all  the  appearance  of  a  solemn  function.  In 
such  a  brilliant  circle  Paul  presented  a  strange  contrast 
to  his  hearers,  when  the  soldier  holding  his  chains,  led 
him  forth,  —  pale  and  worn,  his  countenance,  always  so 
unprepossessing,  now  furrowed  by  long  illness  and  two 
years  of  strict  confinement.  After  his  appeal  to  Caesar, 
there  was  no  longer  any  question  of  trial  or  judicial  pro- 
cedure so  long  as  the  prisoner  remained  in  Palestine. 
This  Festus,  with  that  scrupulous  regard  for  legal  forms 
which  was  a  second  nature  to  the  Eoman  magistrate,  took 
care  to  explain  to  all  present. 

"King  Agrippa,"  he  said,  "and  all  you  who  are  here 
present  witli   us,  you  see  before   you  the    man   against 


394  SAINT  PAUL. 

whom  the  whole  Jewish  people,  here  as  well  as  at  Jeru- 
salem, have  been  besieging  me,  declaring  that  he  ought 
not  to  be  let  live.  For  my  own  part,  finding  that  he  had 
done  nothing  worthy  of  death,  and  the  man  himself  hav- 
ing appealed  to  Augustus,  I  determined  to  send  him 
thither.  Yet  I  have  nothing  certain  to  say  of  him  to 
the  Emperor,^  and  for  that  reason  I  have  brought  him 
before  you  all,  and  especially  before  thee,  0  King 
Agrippa,  in  order  that,  after  having  examined  into  his 
case,  I  may  know  what  I  ought  to  write  concerning  it, 
for  to  me  it  seems  unreasonable  to  transfer  a  prisoner 
without  indicating  at  the  same  time  the  charges  under 
which  he  lies." 

Agrippa  having  signified  his  willingness  to  hear  the 
prisoner  speak  for  himself,  Paul  lifted  his  hand,  fettered 
with  heavy  chains,  and  commanded  attention  by  the  ges- 
ture customary  to  Greek  orators.^ 

"  I  deem  myself  happy,  "  he  began,  "  0  King  Agrippa, 
to  be  allowed  to  defend  myself  to-day  before  thee  against 
all  things  whereof  the  Jews  accuse  me,  because  thou  art 
well  acquainted  with  all  the  customs  and  questions  which 
are  known  among  us.  Wherefore  I  beg  of  thee  to  hear 
me  patiently.  So  far  as  concerns  the  life  I  have  led  in 
Jerusalem  among  my  own  nation  since  the  days  of  my 
youth,  —  so  much  is  well  known  to  all  the  Jews.  If 
they  will  bear  true  witness,  they  will  tell  you  that, 
according  to  the  strictest  sect  of  our  religion,  I  lived  a 
Pharisee  :  and  now  I  stand  here  to  be  judged  because  I 
hope  in  the  promise  which  God  made  unto  our  fathers, 
the  promise  whereunto  our  twelve  tribes  hope  to  come, 
by  serving  God  day  and  night;  'tis  for  this  hope,  0 
King,  that  I  am  accused  by  the  Jews.  What  then  !  is 
it  judged  among  you  so  incredible  a  thing  that  God  should 
raise  the  dead  ?  " 

1  T^j  Kvpiq),  "  to  the  Lord."  Augustus  and  Tiberius  always  refused  this 
title  (Suetonius,  Augustus,  53  ;  Tiberius,  27).  But  from  the  time  of  Calig- 
ula the  Emperors  permitted  its  use. 

2  "  Porrigit  dextram  et  ad  instar  oratorum  comforniat  articulum,  duo- 
busque  infimis  conclusis  digitis  ceteros  eminentes  porrigit."  Apuleius, 
Metamorph.,  ii.  54, 


THE  PRISONER  OF  C  JE  S  ARE  A  IN  PALESTINE.      395 

Here  Paul  was  simply  repeating,  in  different  terms, 
what  he  had  said  to  the  Jews  and  to  Felix,  that  his  sole 
crime  was  his  belief  in  the  Kesurrection  of  the  dead.  As 
to  the  charge  of  having  preached  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  he 
once  more  alleged  the  Saviour's  appearance  to  him  on  the 
road  Damascusward,  and  the  Divine  command  he  had 
received  to  embrace  this  new  Faith. 

"King  Agrippa,"  he  said,  in  concluding  the  story  of  his 
conversion,  "  I  did  not  withstand  the  Heavenly  Vision  ; 
but  I  proclaimed  far  and  wide,  first  to  those  at  Damascus, 
thereafter  at  Jerusalem,  and  finally  unto  all  Judea  and  to 
the  Gentiles,  that  they  should  repent  and  turn  unto  God 
by  doing  works  worthy  of  repentance.  Because  of  this 
the  Jews,  when  they  caught  me  in  the  Temple,  en- 
deavored to  kill  me  ;  but,  thanks  to  the  aid  which  came 
to  me  from  God,  you  see  me  standing  before  you  this 
day,  bearing  witness  unto  small  and  great,  declaring 
nothing  save  what  the  Prophets  and  Moses  foretold  ; 
namely  that  it  was  necessary  that  the  Christ  should 
suffer,  and  that,  as  the  first  to  rise  in  the  Eesurrection 
of  the  dead.  He  should  be  the  Messenger  of  light  to  the 
chosen  people  and  the  Gentiles." 

This  exposition  of  the  Prophet's  testimony,  this  tale  of 
heavenly  visions,  was  not  calculated  to  interest  Festus, 
who  doubtless  had  already  had  occasion  to  hear  the 
same  matter  discussed.  He  feared  lest  his  high-born 
guests  should  be  wearied,  and  at  this  point  interrupted 
the  prisoner  without  much  ceremony. 

"  Your  mind  is  wandering,  Paul,"  he  said  to  him  ;  "  your 
great  knowledge  has  turned  your  brain." 

But  the  Apostle  was  not  to  be  confused  by  such  words  ; 
moreover  he  felt  certain  that,  to  Agrippa  at  least,  these 
questions  were  peculiarly  interesting. 

"I  am  not  out  of  my  mind.  Most  Excellent  Felix,"  he 
replied  ;  "  the  words  T  am  uttering  are  the  words  of  truth 
and  reason.  The  King  is  well  informed  concerning  all 
these  things,  and  I  speak  in  his  presence  with  all  the 
more  freedom  because  I  know  that  he  is  not  ignorant  of 
all  that  I  say  now  ;  indeed  these  things  have  not  taken 


396  SAINT  PAUL. 

place  in  secret."  Whereupon,  turning  toward  the  Prince 
he  put  the  question  directly:  "King  Agrippa,  belie  vest 
thou  the  Prophets  ?     Ah  !  I  know  that  thou  dost  !  " 

Agrippa  refused  to  enter  on  the  discussion  which  the 
Apostle  would  have  gladly  drawn  him  into,  and  now  the 
King  met  this  home  thrust  with  courtly  irony.  "You 
will  soon  persuade  me  to  become  a  Christian  !  "  he  said. 

"  I  would  to  God,"  exclaimed  Paul,  *'  that  not  only 
thou,  but  also  all  that  are  listening  to  me  to-day,  would 
become  in  every  respect  such  as  I,  —  excepting  these 
chains,"  he  added  with  well-bred  humor,  holding  out  his 
manacled  wrists. 

With  this  courteous  sally  the  audience  came  to  an  end. 
The  King  rose  ;  Berenice,  Festus,  and  their  court  passed 
into  another  hall.  Here  the  matter  was  talked  over,  and 
the  opinion  was  unanimous  that  Paul  had  done  nothing 
deserving  death  or  imprisonment. 

"  If  he  had  not  appealed  to  Caesar,"  was  the  King's 
verdict,  "  this  man  might  have  been  set  at  liberty." 

But  the  Apostle  maintained  his  right  of  appeal.  Eome 
was  now,  more  than  ever,  first  and  foremost  in  his 
thoughts.  The  prospect  of  being  conducted  thither  by 
the  Romans  themselves  and  of  appearing  before  the  high- 
est court  of  the  Empire,  harmonized  too  perfectly  with 
his  great  designs  to  think  of  foregoing  the  opportunity. 
There  was  no  way  of  avoiding  it,  —  the  Procurator  must 
ship  his  prisoner  to  Italy. 


CHAPTEE  XVIII. 

FROM    C^SAREA   TO   ROME  BY   SEA. 

The  summer  season  was  drawing  to  a  close  ;  it  was  by 
all  means  expedient  to  send  Paul  and  the  prisoners  who 
like  him  had  entered  an  appeal  at  once,  if  they  were  not 
to  be  exposed  to  the  risk  of  wintering  at  some  port  by 
the  way.  The  personage  most  available  to  take  charge  of 
the  convoy  was  a  certain  Eoman  Centurion  named  Julius, 
who  chanced  to  be  in  Csesarea.  This  officer  belonged  to 
the  Augustan  Cohort,  —  by  which  is  meant,  probably, 
that  body  of  picked  men  who  were  known  as  Evocati 
Augusti}  and  held  positions  of  trust  about  the  Emperor's 
person,  their  functions  being  administrative  rather  than 
judicial.  Some  official  duty,  perhaps  that  of  accompanying 
Eestus,  had  brought  him  into  these  parts  ;  his  functions 
fulfilled,  he  was  about  to  go  back  to  Eome.^  The  Gov- 
ernor profited  by  his  return  to  put  the  prisoners,  with  the 
soldiers  who  served  as  their   escort,^  under  his  charge. 

1  The  Evocati  Augusti  formed  a  distinct  body  (Dio  Cassius,  Iv.  24)  of 
relatively  large  numbers,  receiving  their  orders  from  the  Prefect  of  the  Prae- 
torium  ;  "  they  were  granted  certain  material  advantages,  almost  equal  to 
those  of  the  Centurions.  Furthermore,  and  as  the  highest  reward,  they 
might  be  raised  to  the  rank  of  Centurions  after  some  years  passed  in  the 
ranks  of  the  Evocati."     Daremberg,  Diet,  des  Antiq.,  Evocati. 

2  To  me  this  hypothesis  would  seem  to  be  the  most  natural  explana- 
tion of  the  obscure  term  (nreipr]s  a-çfiaaTrjs.  Wieseler,  when  proposing  it, 
makes  these  remarks  :  1st,  that  it  is  not  said  in  the  Acts  that  the  cohort  of 
Avhich  Julius  was  Centurion  resided  at  Caesarea;  2d,  that,  though  this 
title  of  honor,  Augusta,  liad  been  borne  by  various  bodies  of  troops  in 
other  Provinces  (Marquardt,  liomische  Staatsverivaitung ,  ii.  446-454,  473), 
yet  we  cannot  find  that  it  was  given  to  any  legion  or  cohort  in  Syria 
or  Judea.  See  Wieseler's  Chronologie  des  Apostoîischen  Zeitalters,  p.  389, 
note. 

3  They  must  have  been  a  goodly  number,  for  when  S.  Ignatius  was 
conducted  from  Antioch  to  Rome  he  had  for  himself  alone  an  escort  of 
ten  soldiers.     Ignatius,  Ep.  ad  Rom.,  v. 


398  SAINT  PAUL. 

Julius  was  a  man  of  high  breeding  and  noble  sentiments, 
and  in  the  course  of  the  seven  months  during  which  he 
had  charge  of  the  Apostle  never  deviated  from  the  kindly 
line  of  conduct  he  adopted  from  the  day  of  their  first 
meeting.  Two  of  Paul's  disciples,  Luke  and  Aristarchus 
of  Thessalonia,  obtained  permission  of  this  Eoman  gentle- 
man to  accompany  and  assist  their  master.^ 

The  little  band  embarked  in  a  vessel  hailing  from 
Adramyttium  in  Mysia,  which  was  to  make  the  return 
voyage,  touching  at  various  ports  along  the  coasts  of  Syria 
and  Asia  Minor.  There  was  always  the  chance  of  meet- 
ing, at  some  one  of  these  stopping-places,  with  another 
ship  bound  for  Italy  ;  at  the  worst,  since  Adramyttium 
was  but  a  short  distance  from  Troas,  it  would  be  easy  to 
pass  over  to  Neapolis  in  Macedonia,  and  thence  proceed 
along  the  Egnatian  Eoad,  which  on  account  of  the  com- 
munication between  Dyrrachium  and  Brundusium,  was 
the  favorite  route  to  Eome.^  The  first  stage  in  their 
journey  was  made  under  favorable  auspices,  and  with  a 
good  breeze.  On  the  following  day,  the  anchor  was 
cast  at  Sidon,  where  the  vessel  was  to  stop  for  traffic.^ 
For  the  past  twenty  years  there  had  been  a  Christian 
community  *  in  this  city,  one  known  and  well  loved  by 
Paul.  He  was  anxious  to  visit  these  brethren  and  refresh 
his  soul  with  a  sight  of  such  kind  friends.  Julius  made 
no  objection  to  this,  for  from  his  conversations  with 
Festus  he  had  carried  away  a  feeling  of  esteem  and 
respect  for  his  prisoner. 

1  This  sea  voyage  described  by  S.  Luke  has  been  examined,  in  all  its 
minutest  details,  by  men  well  versed  in  the  science  of  navigation.  All 
agree  in  recognizing  its  admirable  exactitude.  See  in  particular,  James 
Smith,  The  Vot/age  and  Shipivreck  of  Saint  Paid  ;  Breusing,  Z)/e  Nautik 
der  Alien,  142-205  ;  Trêve,  Une  Traversée  de  César ée  de  Palestine  a  Putéoles 
au  Temps  de  Saint  Paid. 

2  The  Centurion  in  charge  of  Paul  could  count  upon  the  time  necessary 
for  this  voyage  ;  since,  according  to  the  likeliest  calculations,  they  must 
have  sailed  from  Cœsarea  about  the  middle  of  August.  See  Lewin's,  The 
Life  and  Epistles  of  Saint  Paid,  vol.  ii.  p,  183,  note  7. 

^  Sidon  is  twenty-eight  marine  leagues  from  Ccesarea.  This  distance, 
at  the  slowest  rate  of  three  or  four  knots  an  hour,  could  be  accomplished 
in  twenty-four  hours. 

*  Acts  xi.  19;  xv.  3  ;  xxi.  2-4. 


FROM   C^  S  ARE  A    TO  ROME  BY  SEA.  399 

The  ship  tarried  but  a  short  time  at  the  harbor  of 
Sidon.  Thence  it  stood  out  to  sea,  and  was  bearing 
straight  for  the  Lycian  coast,  when  it  began  to  encounter 
head  winds  ;  it  became  necessary  to  tack,  run  under  the 
shelter  of  Cyprus,  and,  passing  to  the  east  of  this  island,^ 
make  for  Cilicia  to  the  northwards.  The  current  along 
this  coast  sets  in  a  westerly  direction,^  and  with  sunset 
the  north  wind  blows  down  fresh  from  the  snowy  crests 
of  the  Taurus  range  :  with  this  twofold  aid,  they  were 
soon  able  to  reach  Myra  in  Lycia.^  This  was  a  haven 
much  frequented  by  Egyptian  mariners  whenever  the 
westerly  gales  prevented  them  from  doubling  the  Italian 
cape.  Skirting  thence  along  the  southern  shores  of  Asia 
Minor,  they  would  be  able  to  push  on  from  island  to 
island  as  far  as  Brundusium  or  Puteoli.*  Julius  discov- 
ered, at  one  of  the  docks  of  Myra,^  one  of  these  Alex- 
andrian vessels  of  large  tonnage,  having  on  board  two 
hundred  and  seventy-six  passengers.^  It  was  now  almost 
the  first  of  September,  and  only  one  month  was  to  elapse 
before  the  end  of  the  season  for  navigation;  making  due 
reckoning  for  calms  and  contrary  winds,  there  was  still 
every  hope  of  reaching  Italian  shores  before  the  setting 
in  of  bad  weather,  for  from  Myra  this  was  but  a  ten 
days'  sail."^     Julius  seized  this  opportunity  of  shortening 

1  "  The  vessel  bearing  S.  Paul,  when  making  to  the  north  after  leaving 
Sidon,  must  have  passed  to  the  east  of  Cyprus.  As  sailors  call  the 
coast  facing  the  wind  above  the  wind,  and  the  opposite  shores  the  coast 
below  the  wind,  the  expression  viroTr\e7v  tV  KvTrpou  is  simply  a  nautical 
term,  to  leeward.  With  a  west  wind  they  doubled  the  cape  lying  to  the 
east  of  Cyprus,  hence  sailing  îinder  the  wind  of  Cyprus."  Breusing,  Die 
Nautik  der  Alien,  p.  155. 

2  Beaufort,  Karamania,  p.  41  ;  Eindlay,  Mediterranean  Directory,  p.  7. 

3  The  Vulgate,  the  Codex  Alexandrinus,  and  the  Sinaiticus  have 
Lystra  ;  but  Myra  is  unquestionably  the  original  readii^g. 

4  Smith,  Voyage  and  Shipivreck,  p.  32  ;  Trêve,  Une  Traversée,  p.  11. 

5  This  town  lay  on  the  left  bank  of  a  small  river,  the  Andraki,  about 
one  league  from  the  sea.     There  are  only  a  few  ruins  to  mark  its  site. 

^  Large  ships  were  often  of  600  tons  burden,  and  sometimes  even  more, 
for  the  Isis,  of  which  Lucian  speaks  {Navigiian,  i.),  had  a  capacity  of  from 
1,000  to  1,100  tons.     Smith,  Vo//age  and  Shipwreck,  pp.  147-150. 

■^  "  From  Myra  to  Puteoli  Avas  reckoned  at  about  three  hundred  marine 
leagues;  at  the  slowest  rate  of  thirty  leagues  in  twenty-four  hours,  it 
would  take  ten  days  to  make  the  distance,  or  thirty  days,  if  we  make  all 


400  SAINT  PAUL. 

the  voyage,  and,  after  concluding  the  bargain  with  the 
sea  captain  from  Alexandria,  transshipped  his  little  band 
and  once  more  put  out  into  the  open. 

The  wind  was  still  blowing  heavily  from  the  north- 
west ;i  the  heavily  laden  vessel,  with  its  clumsy  lines, 
could  but  creep  along  under  the  lee  of  the  shore,  for  it 
got  little  help  from  the  current  or  the  land  breezes. 
After  several  days  of  fatiguing  labors  they  had  not  man- 
aged to  get  as  far  as  Cnidus.  An  attempt  was  made  to 
take  shelter  in  this  port,  but  in  vain  :  the  coast  line  at 
this  point  of  Asia  Minor  turns  sharply  to  the  north, 
and  leaves  vessels  without  any  shield  from  the  winds 
which  sweep  the  Archipelago.  All  that  the  steersman 
could  manage  to  do  was  to  keep  the  ship  headed  south- 
west. Soon  Cape  Salmone  and  the  eastern  shores  of  Crete 
rose  on  the  right  hand.  This  island,  lying  like  a  long  dike 
along  this  part  of  their  course,  serves  as  a  barrier  against 
the  north  wind,  and  affords  a  sheet  of  still  water  over- 
shadowed by  tall  mountains  ;  but  to  the  east  the  surge 
was  as  fierce  as  ever,  so  much  so  that  the  pilot  found  it 
no  easy  matter  to  manoeuvre  his  ship.  However,  he  suc- 
ceeded at  last,  and,  after  rounding  the  headlands,  cast 
anchor  in  a  bay  in  which  were  two  islands.^  A  tongue 
of  land  stretching  into  the  waters  of  this  inlet  divides  it 
into  a  double  harbor,  whence  its  name  of  Kali  Limenes? 

allowance  for  calms,  head  winds,  and  stoppages  when  taking  in  water  ; 
the  probabilities,  therefore,  were  all  in  favor  of  their  reaching  their  desti- 
nation before  bad  weather  set  in."     Trêve,  Une  Traversée. 

1  In  the  Archipelago  the  Etesian  winds  (from  the  northwest)  blow 
from  the  20th  of  July  till  the  end  of  August  (Pliny,  Hist.  Nat.,  ii.  47). 
They  were  justified  in  hoping  that,  as  usual,  these  would  give  way  to  the 
south  winds  (Pliny,  Ibid.),  thereby  enabling  them  to  reach  Italy  in  good 
time. 

2  Megalo-Nisi  and  Saint  Paul. 

3  KaKoi  Xifiéves.  This  bay  has  been  discovered  by  voyagers  who  have 
studied  the  southern  coast  of  the  island  ;  it  still  bears  the  name  of  Kah 
Limniones.  About  tAvo  hours'  journey  thence,  on  a  point  to  the  east 
which  stands  out  into  the  sea,  are  some  ruins,  called  by  the  country  folk 
Lasea,  and  these  mark  the  site  of  the  town  spoken  of  in  the  Acts  as 
Lasaea  (Cod.  Vaticanus),  Lasaia,  Alassa  (Cod.  Alexandrinus),  and  Tha- 
lassa  (Vulgate).  See  Alford,  The  Greek  Testament,  vol.  ii.  Prolegomena, 
Excursus,  i.  ;  Spratt,  Travels  and  Researches  in  Crete,  vol.  ii.  pp.  1-7  ; 
Findlay,  Mediterranean  Directory,  p.  66. 


FROM  C^SAREA    TO  ROME  BY  SEA.  401 

or  Fair  Havens.  On  the  point  which  encloses  this  port 
to  the  east  rose  the  small  city  of  Lassea. 

Their  stay  at  this  anchorage  was  prolonged  beyond  all 
expectations,  for  they  must  needs  await  a  favorable  turn 
in  the  wind,  which  was  long  in  coming.  Already  the 
fast  known  as  "  The  Great  Forgiveness,"  ^  celebrated  on 
the  occurrence  of  the  autumnal  equinox,  was  past.  After 
that  date,  especially  from  the  beginning  of  October, 
the  ancients  regarded  navigation  as  dangerous.^  They 
seemed  doomed  to  pass  the  winter  in  the  island  ;  but  was 
it  prudent  to  adopt  this  plan  and  remain  at  Fair  Havens, 
which  was  without  any  protection  from  the  eastern  and 
southern  gales  ?  Many  were  inclined  to  advise  another 
venture  into  the  open  ;  the  Apostle  took  the  other  side. 
"  My  friends,"  were  his  words,  "  I  foresee  that  the  voyage 
is  going  to  be  a  disastrous  one,  and  beset  by  perils,  not 
alone  to  the  vessel  and  its  cargo,  but  for  your  lives  as 
well." 

He  was  not  listened  to  ;  both  the  captain  and  the  owner  ^ 
held  to  their  opinion,  that  they  ought  to  leave  at  once. 
Julius,  who  naturally  considered  them  as  more  experi- 
enced than  the  Apostle  in  seafaring  matters,  coincided 
with  them.  Accordingly  it  was  decided  that  they  take 
a  more  westerly  course  and  make  for  Phœnix,*  a  port  well 
known  to  the  mariners  from  Alexandria,  for  it  is  the  only 
one  on  the  southern  coast  of  Crete  which  can  offer  a 
secure  refuge  in  winter.^  As  it  is  enclosed  by  an  island 
to  the  south,  there  is  no  danger  from  northeasterly  or 
southeasterly  gales  ;  ^  in  the  heaviest  seas,  the  ships  lie 

1  The  Yom  Kippour,  celebrated  on  the  10th  of  Tisri  (end  of  September). 
Lev.  xvi.  29  ;  xxiii.  27  ;  Philo,  Vita  Mos.,  ii.  657. 

2  Vegetius,  De  Re  Milit.,  v.  9  ;  Pliny,  Hist.  Nat.,  ii.  47  ;  Cœsar,  De 
Bell.  Gal.,  iv.  36  ;  v.  23. 

^  NavKhripos  (6  dea-TTOTrjs  rod  irXolov,  Hesychius)  means  either  the 
shipper  or  the  owner,  wlio  often  accompanied  his  vessel,  or  perhaps  only 
the  supercargo,  who  represented  him  in  order  to  take  charge  and  finally 
dispose  of  the  merchandise. 

*  Now  called  Loutro.  See  Spratt's  Travels,  vol.  ii.  pp.  247  et  seq.  ; 
Smith's  Voyage  atid  Shipwreck,  p.  51. 

^  Spratt,  insfriicfio7is,  p.  44. 

^  "  Phoenix,  a  haven  of  Crete,  looking  toward  the  wind  from  the  south- 
west and   the  wind   from  the  northwest."     Acts  xxvii.   12.     S.  Luke  is 

26 


402  SAINT  PAUL. 

here  undisturbed.  About  twenty-four  hours  would  suffice 
to  bring  them  to  their  new  moorings  ;  they  therefore 
resolved  to  wait  only  for  a  little  more  propitious  weather. 
At  last  the  breeze  began  to  blow  from  the  south  ;  the 
sailors  were  bidden  to  make  haste  and  weigh  anchor, 
shake  out  all  sail,  and,  so  great  was  their  confidence,  to 
carry  the  long-boat  in  tow.  They  had  but  fairly  doubled 
Cape  Matala  when  a  hurricane,  commonly  known  in  these 
regions  as  the  Euraquilo}  suddenly  descended  upon  them 
from  Mount  Tda,  whipping  the  waves  into  a  whirlpool. 
The  vessel,  surprised  by  this  tempest  while  under  full 
sail,  could  make  no  headway  ;  ^  it  was  driven  before  the 
wind,  and,  after  a  fearsome  run  of  twenty-two  miles, 
reached  the  neighborhood  of  a  small  island  called  Clauda.^ 
They  managed  to  run  close  enough  under  this  shelter  to 
be  for  the  time  being  less  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves,  and 
they  seized  this  opportunity  to  haul  the  long-boat  on 
board.  Towed  so  long  through  the  billows  and  half 
swamped  with  water,  the  launch  was  no  light  thing  to 
handle.  The  ship  itself  had  suffered  severely,  for  the  full 
force  of  the  gale  had  been  concentrated  on  a  single  mast 
bearing  an  enormous  sail  which  exceeded  the  vessel  in 
length.  The  strain  upon  the  keel  of  a  vessel  rigged  after 
this  fashion  would  be  incessant,  owing  to  the  choppy  seas 
of  the  Mediterranean.  It  soon  became  evident  that  there 
was  a  leak  in  the  fractured  hulL^     On  such  occasions 

describing  the  situation  of  this  port  according  to  the  accounts  of  the  sailors 
who  were  with  him,  and  hence  is  using  sea  language.  "  The  land  is  draw- 
ing nearer  "  is  a  common  expression  among  tYiem,  although  in  fact  it  is 
the  vessel  they  are  on  which  is  approaching  the  coast.  So  here,  as  the 
prow  of  their  ship  turned  to  the  northwest  and  then  to  the  southwest,  in 
order  to  enter  this  haven,  they  note  that  Phœnix  looks  in  the  direction  of 
these  winds,  and  consequently  that  the  anchorage  is  open  only  to  northeast 
and  southeast  winds.  Smith,  Voyage,  p.  49  et  seq.  ;  Spratt,  Travels,  vol. 
ii.  pp.  247-254. 

1  This  gale  blew  from  the  east-northeast.  See  Smith,  pp.  59  et  seq.  ; 
Spratt,  Travels,  vol.  ii.  pp.  II  et  seq. 

J  'AvTocpOaXfxiîv  T^  avefxt^  is  an  allusion  to  the  eyes  frequently  cut  or 
painted  at  either  side  of  the  prow. 

2  The  Greeks  call  it  Gaudonesi,  the  Italians  Gozzo.  This  tiny  isle  lies 
to  the  west  of  Cape  Matala  and  about  twenty  miles  from  Sphakia. 

*^  The  Avhirlwind  {&vi/xos  rvcpœi/iKÔs)  in  which  the  ship  was  caught  had 
terribly  strained  its  keel  :  "  Prœcipua  navigantium  pestis,  non  antennas 
modo,  verum  ipsa  uavigia  contorta  frangens."     Pliny,  Hist.  Nat.,  ii.  49. 


FROM   CjESAREA   TO  ROME  BY  SEA.  403 

the  seamen  were  wont  to  try  frapping,  a  very  delicate  oper- 
ation in  such  a  storm.  Hawsers  are  slipped  beneath  the 
keel,  brought  up  along  the  sides,  then  hauled  taught  with 
a  windlass,  thus  contriving  to  hold  the  framework  together, 
and  preventing  planks  and  timbers  from  working. ^ 

But  still  more  to  be  feared  than  the  frothing  seas  were 
the  African  Syrtes,  whither  they  were  flying  under  this 
northeast  gale.  The  shifting  sands  of  those  bays  were 
the  terror  of  the  ancients,^  and  with  good  reason,  for  fierce 
currents  and  the  influx  of  the  tide  made  the  destruction 
of  whatever  craft  came  within  their  reach,  almost  certain. 
Nothing  was  to  be  spared  whereby  this  new  peril  might 
be  avoided.  The  sail  was  furled  or  perhaps  taken  down, 
even  the  rigging  of  the  mast,  which  offered  some  surface 
for  the  winds,  was  ungeared,  and  the  ship  left  to  drift 
before  the  sea. 

All  this  night  and  the  day  following  the  tempest  con- 
tinued :  the  cargo  was  now  thrown  overboard,  the  grain 
alone  being  preserved  as  a  last  resource.  On  the  third 
day  it  became  necessary  to  still  further  lighten  the  hull, 
and  sacrifice  the  heavier  gearing  ;  all  hands  were  called 
on  deck  with  orders  to  throw  the  long  yard-arms  into 
the  sea.  With  this  relief  the  ship  ran  less  chance  of 
going  to  the  bottom,  but  its  condition  was  aggravated  in 
other  respects.  With  the  exception  of  her  steering 
apparatus^  and  bowsprit,  she  was  little  more  than  an 
unwieldy  spar  floating  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves  and 

^  'TTTo^w/iOTo  Vitruvius,  X.  15,  6;  Thucydides,  i.  29;  Plato,  i?e;j.,  x. 
616.     This  proceeiling,  though  seldom  adopted  in  our  day,  is  not  alto- 

?  ether  unknown  to  modern  mariners.     See  Conybeare  and  Howson,  The 
<ife  and  Epistles  of  Saint  Paul,  vol.  ii   pp.  404,  405  ;  Smith,  Voi/age,  p.  60. 
-  Sallust,  Jugurtha,  Ixxviii.  ;    Procopius,  De  yEdi/.,  vi.   iii.  3  ;    Silius 
Italiens,  Punica,  iii.  320  ;  Josephus,  Bell.  Jud.,  ii.  xvi.  4  ;  and  see  Tissot's 
Exploration  Scientifique  de  la  Tunisie,  i.  225,  226. 

^  For  steering  purposes  there  were  also  two  paddles  set  in  the  stern  of 
the  vessel.  One  has  only  to  open  any  works  containing  plates  of  ancient 
ships  (paintings  from  Herculaneum,  the  Catacombs,  the  Vatican  Vergil, 
etc.)  to  see  these  broad-bladed  oars  protruding  from  either  side  of  the 
poop.  See  Jal,  Glossaire  Antique,  under  the  words  Barca  duorum  thi- 
MONORUM,  Gouvernail  ;  Martin  et  Cahier,  Mélanges  d'Archéologie,  iii. 
pi.  1  ;  Graser,  De  Veterum  Re  Navali,  tab.  iv.  et  v.  ;  De  Rossi,  Roma  Sot- 
terranea,  t.  ii.  tav.  xiv.,  xv.,  xvi.,  xlix.  26. 


404  SAINT  PAUL. 

winds  over  that  immense  space  stretching  between  Crete, 
Africa,  Greece,  and  Italy  which  constitutes  what  was 
known  as  the  Adriatic  in  ancient  times.^  Here  they 
were  tossed  about  during  several  days,  the  worst  of  the 
voyage,  without  any  idea  of  where  they  were  or  whither 
they  were  going  ;  for  the  sun  and  stars,  the  sole  guides 
for  the  mariner  of  those  days,^  were  never  for  an  instant 
visible.  "As  the  storm  in  no  wise  relaxed  its  fury," 
says  Saint  Luke,  "we  gave  up  all  hope." 

The  Apostle  alone  remained  unmoved  amid  this  crisis 
of  nature,  for  he  trusted  in  that  God  Who  can  calm  the 
waves,  and  he  relied  on  His  promise  that  none  should 
perish.  Howbeit  he  could  not  be  insensible  to  the  pitiful 
spectacle  offered  him  by  the  passengers,  who  were  in  such 
an  agony  of  mind  that  they  refused  to  take  any  nourish- 
ment.    At  last  he  spoke  to  them  all. 

"Friends,"  he  said,  "  you  would  have  done  better  to 
have  hearkened  to  me  and  not  have  quitted  Crete  ;  you 
would  have  been  spared  much  trouble  and  a  great  loss. 
Nevertheless,  I  exhort  you  to  be  of  good  courage,  for  none 
shall  perish,  and  only  the  vessel  «hall  be  lost.  This  very 
night  there  appeared  to  me  an  Angel  of  God,  Whose  I  am 
and  Whom  I  serve,  saying  to  me,  *  Paul,  fear  not  ;  thou 
must  appear  before  Caesar,  and  lo  !  God  hath  given  thee 
all  who  sail  with  thee.'  Wherefore  be  of  good  courage, 
my  friends  ;  I  believe  God,  and  that  what  has  been  told 
me  shall  come  to  pass  ;  we  shall  assuredly  be  cast  upon 
some  island." 

Nor  were  these  vain  promises.  Fourteen  days  after 
their  departure  from  Crete,  the  sailors  declared  that  they 
heard  breakers  during  the  night.  After  having  sounded 
they  discovered  that  they  were  in  some  twenty  fathoms 

Ï  Ovid,  Fast.,  iv.  501  ;  Trist.,  i.  xi.  4  ;  Josephus,  Vita,  3  ;  Pausanias, 
V.  25,  1  ;  viii.  54,  2  ;  Procopius,  De  Bell.  Vand.,  i.  14.  Ptolemy  calls  the 
modern  Adriatic  Sea  the  Adriatic  Gulf  {Geogr.,  vii.  5,3,  10;  viii.  7,  2; 
viii.  8,  2;  i.  15,  3),  and  gives  Sicily,  the  Peloponnesus,  and  Crete  as  the 
limits  of  the  sea  then  known  by  that  name  (viii.  9,  2;  iii.  15,  3  ;  iii.  17,  1  ; 
viii.  12,  2). 

^  Having  no  compass,  the  ancients  had  to  rely  wholly  on  the  sun  and 
stars  to  guide  them  over  the  open  sea  ;  the  Greeks  steered  by  the  Great 
Bear,  the  Sidonians  by  the  Little  Bear. 


FROM   C^SAREA   TO  ROME  BY  SEA.  405 

of  water  ;  a  little  farther  on  and  it  was  fifteen,  —  they 
had  reached  land  !  Fearing  to  fall  foul  of  the  rocks,  they 
lowered  four  anchors  from  the  poop,^  and  these,  by  good 
luck,  caught  and  held  them  fast:  the  ship  was  stopped; 
the  huge  paddles  which  were  used  in  steering,  now  being 
useless,  were  hoisted  up  from  either  side,  and  fastened 
with  tackle.  All  were  waiting  impatiently  for  the  dawn, 
when  it  was  noticed  that  the  crew  were  preparing  to 
launch  the  long-boat.  The  sailors  feared,  or  so  they 
told  the  passengers,  lest  the  stern  anchors  should  work 
loose,  and  were  now  going  to  fasten  others  to  the  bow  ; 
but  their  real  intention  was  to  save  themselves,  leaving 
the  ship  to  certain  destruction.  During  the  tempest 
Paul  had  had  an  opportunity  to  appreciate  the  bold  per- 
formances of  these  seamen,  and  to  know  that,  after  God, 
it  was  to  them  the  ship  owed  its  safety.  Fully  alive  to 
the  fact  that  there  was  no  hope  for  the  passengers  if  the 
crew  w^ere  to  abandon  them,  he  approached  the  Centurion. 
"  If  these  men  do  not  stay  in  the  ship,"  he  said,  "  you 
cannot  save  yourselves."  Instantly  the  soldiers  drew 
their  swords,  and  severed  the  ropes  that  held  the  ship's 
boat,  letting  it  fall  off  into  the  surge. 

Nor  was  Paul's  ascendency  over  the  passengers  any  less 
remarkable.  Going  from  one  to  another,  he  fortified  and 
inspired  them,  not  only  with  words  of  faith,  but  with 
advice  of  the  most  practical  nature.  His  first  anxiety 
was  to  have  them  take  some  food. 

"  See,  it  is  fourteen  days,"  he  said,  "  since  you  began 
fasting  and  keeping  watch,  eating  nothing  during  this 
time.  I  exhort  you  to  take  some  food  ;  it  is  necessary  if 
you  would  be  able  to  save  yourselves.  Not  a  hair  shall 
fall  from  the  head  of  one  of  you."  ^ 

Then,  to  give  them  an  example,  he  himself  took  bread, 

^  Ships,  as  is  well  known,  always  anchor  from  the  prow;  in  certain 
cases,  however,  either  to  facilitate  manœuvres  or  meet  an  attack,  the 
anchor  is  cast  from  the  stern.  Nelson  adopted  this  measure  when  before 
Copenhagen,  and  after  the  fight  took  pleasure  in  recalling  that  that  very 
morning  he  had  been  reading  the  twenty-seventh  chapter  of  the  Acts. 
See  Conybeare  and  Howson,  The  Life  and  Epistles  of  Saint  Paul,  vol.  ii. 
pp.  4-6. 

2  Luke  xxi.  18. 


406  SAINT  PAUL. 

and,  after  giving  thanks  to  God  in  their  presence,  broke  it 
and  proceeded  to  eat  it.  The  others  began  to  do  likewise, 
for  a  new  courage  awoke  within  them  all,  seeing  how 
steadfast  was  his  faith.  When  all  were  refreshed,  what 
remained  of  the  grain  and  provisions  was  thrown  to  the 
angry  waters  ;  at  all  costs,  the  ship  must  be  lightened  if 
they  would  make  the  strand  in  safety. 

At  last  the  day  broke,  and  with  it  the  land  loomed  up 
through  the  storm  mists  and  pelting  rain.^  No  one  re- 
called having  seen  the  place  before  ;  ^  but  between  the 
rocks  that  rose  here  and  there  the  sailors  caught  sight  of 
a  bay,  with  a  little  stretch  of  sandy  beach  at  the  farther 
end  ;  ^  on  this  spot  they  resolved  to  run  their  vessel  ashore. 
Working  together  as  one  man,  they  cut  the  cables  of  the 
anchors,  loosened  the  fastenings  which  held  the  steering 
gear,  hoisted  the  foresail,*  all  at  the  same  time,  and  pointed 
her  prow  toward  the  strand.  But  the  ship  was  not  des- 
tined to  reach  that  point  :  when  about  in  the  middle  of  the 
bay,  she  ran  upon  a  reef  surrounded  on  two  sides  by  deep 
water.^    Her  prow  had  been  driven  with  such  force  that 

1  Acts  xxvii.  2. 

2  "  Some  have  shown  an  unreasonable  surprise  at  the  fact  that  the  sailors 
did  not  recognize  the  coast  of  Malta.  As  the  sea-way  from  Alexandria  to 
Puteoli  passed  through  the  Straits  of  Messina,  they  might  have  made  the 
passage  a  dozen  times  and  more,  and  never  have  come  in  sight  of  this 
island."     Breusing,  Nautik,  pp.  190,  191. 

3  The  Ban  of  St.  Paul,  Cala  di  San  Paolo,  on  the  northeastern  part 
of  the  island.  Lavalette,  the  real  haven  of  Malta  and  one  of  the  love- 
liest in  the  Mediterranean,  lies  some  distance  away  to  the  southeast. 
Then,  as  now,  vessels  could  count  on  finding  a  safe  refuge  there  in  bad 
weather. 

*  Mr.  Smith  has  put  it  beyond  a  doubt  that  the  word  aprifxaiv  means  the 
bowsprit,  the  foresail.  See  his  learned  dissertation  on  ancient  ships,  in  the 
appendix  to  his  Voijage  and  Shipwreck  of  Saint  Paul,  pp.  153-162. 

5  This  reef  lies  half  a  mile  south  of  the  isle  of  Gzeier  which  shuts  in 
the  bay  to  the  north.  "  The  situation  answers  precisely  to  the  description 
in  S.  Luke.  At  its  further  end,  to  the  southwest,  is  the  stretch  of  sandy 
shore  on  which  they  meant  to  beach  her.  Midway  between  rises  this  bar, 
named  after  S.  Paul,  whereon  the  vessel  came  to  grief.  This  shoal  is 
formed  of  clayey  ground.  It  is  easy  to  understand  how  the  winds,  which 
are  so  violent  in  these  quarters,  should  have  produced  an  erosion  which  must 
needs  continue  to  increase.  In  our  days  it  is  some  seven  French  fathoms 
deep.  In  S.  Paul's  times  it  must  have  measured  two  or  three  fathoms. 
We  must  go  a  little  to  the  east  of  this  shoal  if  we  wish  to  find  the  spot 
where  they  anchored  in  fifteen  fathoms  of  water.     A  point  lying  directly 


FROM  C^  S  ARE  A    TO  ROME  BY  SEA.  407 

it  stuck  fast,  while  the  after  part  was  so  beaten  by  the 
surf  that  it  was  fast  breaking  up.  There  was  nothing  for 
it  but  to  trust  to  swimming  or  a  chance  spar.  In  this 
extremity  the  prisoners  were  near  losing  their  lives  from 
another  cause  ;  for  the  soldiers,  fearing  that  they  would 
escape,  were  preparing  to  despatch  them  by  the  sword. 
But  the  Centurion  interposed,  refusing  to  sanction  this 
course,  because  he  desired  to  save  Paul's  life.  He  there- 
fore ordered  such  as  knew  how  to  swim  to  be  the  first  to 
venture  into  the  sea,  bidding  them  get  to  land  as  quickly 
as  possible  and  aid  in  the  work  of  rescue  ;  the  rest  were 
to  cling  to  the  planks  and  timbers  of  the  ship.  Thus  it 
came  about  that  no  one  perished. 

It  was  soon  discovered  that  the  island  was  called 
Malta,  for  the  inhabitants  hastened  up  and  showed  them- 
selves full  of  kindly  feeling  for  the  shipwrecked  sufferers. 
They  were  a  people  of  Punic  origin,^  uncultured  according 
to  the  standards  of  Greece  and  Eome,^  albeit  honest  and 
of  hospitable  manners.  At  sight  of  the  shipwrecked 
party,  soaked  and  still  shivering  in  the  winter  rain,  they 
made  haste  to  build  a  big  fire.  Forgetting  his  own 
wretched  condition,  Paul  set  to  work  with  them  ;  he  had 
been  gathering  a  bundle  of  furze,^  and  was  throwing  it  on 
the  fire,  when  a  viper,*  aroused  by  the  heat,  darted  from 

to  the  west  of  this  bar  is,  the  inhabitants  hold,  the  spot  where  the  ship- 
wrecked party  swam  ashore.  This  supposition  is  in  absolute  conformity 
with  the  facts.  An  east  wind,  whether  it  be  east-northeast  or  due  northeast, 
raises  the  water  in  the  bay.  There  is  no  outlet  for  this  flood  except  by 
the  narrow  passage  between  the  isle  of  Gzeier  and  the  land.  Hence  any 
current  flowing  northward  must  follow  the  coast  line,  and  would  carry  the 
swimmers  clinging  to  their  spars  and  planks,  not  to  the  extremity  of  the 
bay,  but  to  the  west  of  the  bar."  J.  Vars,  DArt  Nautique  dans  l'Antiquité, 
pp.  258, 259. 

1  Diodorus  of  Sicily,  v.  12.  From  the  earliest  times,  Punic  settlers  have 
been  found  in  this  island. 

■^  This  is  the  primitive  sense  of  the  Avord  )3ap/3apot  (Acts  xxviii,  1), 
and  there  is  nothing  to  show  that  S,  Luke  uses  it  in  the  depreciative  sense 
of  uncivilized  and  savage  men. 

3  The  definition  given  for  (ppvyauov  by  Theophrastus  (Hist.  Plant.,  i,  4) 
applies  perfectly  to  the  furze  or  thorny  broom  which  is  still  to  be  found 
growing  about  the  bay.  Lewin,  Life  and  Epistles  of  Saint  Paul,  vol.  ii. 
p.  208. 

^  Vipers  have  disappeared  from  Malta  owing  to  the  complete  clearing 
away  of  waste  land.    This  has  been  the  case  in  other  regions.    Tournefort, 


408  SAINT  PAUL. 

the  faggots  and  fastened  its  venomous  fangs  in  his  flesh. 
When  the  country  folk  saw  this  reptile  hanging  from 
the  stranger's  hand,  they  exclaimed  among  themselves: 
"  Surely  this  man  must  be  a  murderer,  since,  though 
escaping  from  the  sea,  divine  justice  will  not  suffer  him 
to  live." 

But  Paul,  without  showing  any  signs  of  terror,  shook 
off  the  creature  into  the  flames.  The  Maltese  expected 
to  see  his  body  swell  and  his  life  suddenly  become  ex- 
tinct ;  but  after  waiting  a  considerable  time,  and  seeing 
that  he  had  suffered  no  hurt,  they  arrived  at  a  very  dif- 
ferent conclusion.     "  He  is  a  God  !  "  was  their  cry. 

Not  far  from  the  beach  where  the  shipwrecked  passen- 
gers were  huddled  about  the  fire  was  certain  property 
belonging  to  the  Governor  of  Malta,  named  Publius.^ 
This  man,  who  is  mentioned  by  the  title  of  "  First  of  the 
Island,"  1  administered  its  affairs  under  the  authority  of 
the  Proconsul  of  Sicily.  On  learning  that  a  Eoman  Cen- 
turion with  his  soldiers  had  been  cast  on  these  coasts,  he 
sought  them  out,  gave  them  welcome,  and  for  three  days 
showed  them  every  hospitality.  "  Now  it  happened  that 
the  father  of  Publius  was  confined  to  his  bed,  suffering 
greatly  from  fever  and  dysentery.  Paul,  when  admitted 
to  his  bedside,  prayed,  laid  his  hands  over  him,  and  healed 
him."  This  miracle  attracted  all  the  sick  folk  in  the 
island  about  Paul  :  he  restored  them  to  health,  and  doubt- 
less here,  as  always,  proceeded  to  proclaim  the  Glad  Ti- 
dings, doing  his  best  to  enlighten  and  purify  their  souls. 
Did  he,  during  this  first  visit,  succeed  in  implanting  here 
also  a  strong  faith  in  the  Christ  ?    This  would  seem  most 

Relation  d'un  Voyage  dans  le  Levant,  vol.  i.  pp.  142,  357,  358  ;  Breusing, 
Nautik,  p.  191. 

1  Two  inscriptions,  one  in  Greek,  the  other  in  Latin,  found  in  the 
island,  at  Citta  Vecchia,  have  given  rise  to  the  belief  that  this  was  an  offi- 
cial title  :  A.  KA..  vios.  Kvp.  TIpovBrjvs'  iinrçvs'  Vwixaiwu  trpwros  '  MeXiraicov 
(Boeckh,  Corp.  Inscript.,  t.  iii.,  no.  5754).  Mel.  Primus.  See  Smith's 
Voyage  and  Shipivreck,  pp.  113,  114.  Publius  was  in  all  likelihood  the 
chief,  or  Princeps,  of  the  municipality.  We  come  across  a  great  number 
of  analogous  titles  in  the  inscriptions,  all  of  a  purely  municipal  character  : 
"  primus  principalis  splendidissimas  coloniae  "  ;  "  princeps  loci  "  ;  "  princeps 
patriie  suas";  "princeps  municipii  Kiditarum,"  etc.  Orelli,  3866,512; 
Ilenier,  Inscriptions  Romaines  de  VAlge'rie,  3695,  3844  ;  Henzen,  5273. 


FROM  CJESAREA    TO  ROME  BY  SEA.  409 

unlikely.  It  is  more  probable  that  the  islanders  clung  to 
that  life  of  sensuality  and  degraded  superstitions  which 
they  had  brought  with  them  from  their  native  haunts  in 
Africa.  They  certainly  evidenced  their  gratitude  to  Paul  ; 
both  to  him  and  his  friends,  during  the  period  of  their 
stay,  they  displayed  the  greatest  respect,  and  on  the  de- 
parture of  the  visitors  even  furnished  them  with  what 
was  necessary  for  their  voyage  ;  ^  but,  so  far  as  we  can 
ascertain  from  the  Acts,  not  one  of  them  believed  or  was 
baptized. 

Three  months  were  spent  in  the  island,  from  the 
middle  of  November  to  the  middle  of  February.  After 
the  latter  date,  those  vessels  which  made  only  short  runs 
along  the  coasts  were  wont  to  venture  out  from  their 
quarters.  Julius  discovered  one  of  these  transports  in 
the  harbor  of  Malta,  which  was  bound  for  Puteoli.  It 
was  a  vessel  from  Alexandria  bearing  the  insignia  of 
Castor  and  Pollux  on  its  prow,^  and  known  by  the  name 
of  those  twin  patrons  of  mariners.  Though  compelled 
to  winter  in  the  isle,  her  captain  was  eager  to  bring  his 
cargo  to  its  destination.  In  this  ship  the  Centurion  em- 
barked his  prisoners  with  their  guard,  and  set  sail  for 
Syracuse,  where  they  were  to  stop  for  three  days,  ap- 
parently for  purposes  of  trade.  The  wind  proved  un- 
favorable on  their  quitting  this  station;  they  therefore 
followed  the  coast  line  of  Sicily  in  order  to  profit  by  the 
current  which  runs  along  the  shores  of  the  Straits  of 
Messina,^  and  came  to  anchor  at  Ehegium.     On  the  next 

1  Acts  xxviii.  10. 

2  The  figure  of  the  tutelary  gods  of  the  sTiip  was  usually  painted  or 
carved  on  the  prow.  Vergil,  yEneid,  x.  209  ;  Perseus,  Satii-.,  vi.  30. 
Castor  and  Pollux,  the  twin  brothers,  were  particularly  honored  by  sailors, 
Horace,  /  Od  ,  iii.  2;  xii.  28. 

3  "  It  is  to  be  felt  on  both  sides  of  the  Straits  of  Messina,  but  makes 
itself  apparent  only  within  rather  narrow  limits,  never  exceeding  a 
mile  in  width,  owing  to  the  counter  currents  which  bear  to  the  north, 
while  the  principal  current  which  flows  through  the  centre  of  the  water- 
way bears  south,  and  vice  versa  ;  for  the  principal  current  shifts  like 
quicksands.  Vessels  profit  by  these  counter  currents  when  the  main  cur- 
rent is  contrary,  and  to  this  end  hug  the  shore.  This  was  precisely  what 
the  *  Castor  and  Pollux  *  did  in  order  to  make  Rhegium."  Treves,  Une 
Traversée. 


410  SAINT  PAUL. 

day,  with  a  good  south  breeze  blowing,  they  passed  the 
straits  ;  and  two  days  later  the  "  Castor  and  Pollux  " 
entered  the  Bay  of  Naples,  and  landed  its  passengers  at 
the  docks  of  Puteoli. 

This  was  the  port  —  one  of  the  most  frequented  in 
Italy  —  whither  Alexandrian  merchantmen  ^  were  wont 
to  consign  their  cargoes  of  Egyptian  wheat  :  they  alone 
had  the  right  to  enter,  with  all  sails  spread  to  the  wind,^ 
—  an  honorable  privilege  which  they  well  deserved,  for 
they  brought  with  them  the  bread  for  Eome.  In  this 
great  trade  centre^  were  multitudes  of  Jewish  buyers 
and  sellers  hailing  from  Alexandria  or  having  business 
relations  with  the  large  Jewish  population  in  that  town. 
Apparently  they  constituted  the  nucleus  of  the  Christian 
community  which  the  Apostle  encountered  at  Puteoli.* 
The  joy  at  this  meeting  was  all  the  greater  because  it  was 
so  unexpected.  Paul  was  urged  by  these  brethren  to 
tarry  some  days  with  them,  and  he  easily  obtained  the 
necessary  permission  from  Julius,  who  esteemed  the 
Apostle  too  highly  to  deny  him  this  favor.  Thus  a 
whole  month  was  passed  on  the  beautiful  shores  of  the 
bay. 

This  period  elapsed,  they  set  out  for  Rome.  News  had 
come  from  Puteoli  that  a  Centurion  was  bringing  with 
him  the  Apostle  as  a  prisoner,  and  great  excitement  did 
it  cause  among  the  Christians  of  the  Capital,  to  whom 
Paul  was  better  known  and  loved  since  the  receipt  of 
his  famous  letter.  Julius  and  his  little  band  were  toil- 
ing along  the  Appian  Way  when,  at  a  point  about  forty- 
three  miles  from  Rome,  near  a  hamlet  of  seafaring  folk 
and  innkeepers,  called  Appius's  Forum,^  they  were  met  by 

1  Pliny,  Hist.  Nat.,  xxxvi.  14  ;  Suetonius,  Augustus,  98. 

2  Seneca,  Epist.,  77. 

^  Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud.,  xvii.  xii.  1. 

*  The  existence  of  this  Christian  community,  the  influence  of  the 
Jews  at  Puteoli  and  at  Alexandria,  and  the  constant  intercourse  between 
these  two  cities,  all  go  to  support  the  tradition  recorded  by  Eusebius 
{Hist.  Eccles.,  ii.  24,  iii.  14,  21),  that  at  this  time  the  Glad  Tidings  had 
already  been  carried  into  Egypt.     See  Saint  Peter,  Chap.  XX. 

^  "  Forum  Appî  differtum  nantis,  cauponibus  atque  malignis."  Horace, 
/  Sat.,  V.  4.     The  modern  San  Donalo. 


FROM  C^  S  ARE  A   TO  ROME  BY  SEA.  411 

a  group  of  Christian  friends  who  had  come  thus  far  to 
greet  the  prisoner  and  bear  him  company  ;  ten  miles 
farther  on,  at  a  place  called  "  the  Three  Taverns,"  there 
was  another  deputation.^  At  these  renewed  proofs  of 
respect  and  affection,  the  Apostle's  face  lighted  up  with 
joy,  and  he  broke  forth  in  words  of  thanksgiving  to  God, 
for  nothing  touched  him  so  deeply  as  such  tokens  of  love 
from  the  faithful.  Surrounded  by  his  brethren,  and  sup- 
ported by  them,  he  made  his  entrance  into  Eome  with  a 
firm  tread,  like  a  conqueror  in  the  hour  of  his  triumph. 
This  was  in  the  month  of  March  in  the  year  62.  For 
eight  years  Nero  had  been  ruling  the  world. 

1  Cicero,  Ad  Attic,  ii.  10,  13.  According  to  the  apocryphal  Acts  of 
Peter  and  Paul,  the  Apostle  had  spent  the  night  in  Aricia,  sixteen  miles 
from  Kome  {Acta  Petri  et  Pauli,  p.  20.) 


EPILOGUE. 

Sixteen  years  have  passed  since  the  day  when  Paul 
set  out  from  Antioch  to  begin  his  missionary  work  in 
Heathen  lands.  Within  this  short  space  of  time  he  has 
effected  the  liberation  of  Christianity.  The  New  Faith, 
hitherto  confined  within  such  narrow  bounds,  has  gone 
out  into  the  world's  highways,  thanks  to  this  leader  of 
men,  while  the  levellintj  of  ancient  barriers  has  been  as 
swift  in  its  consequences  as  it  was  unexpected.  For  to 
him  God  had  revealed  more  clearly  than  to  any  other 
man  the  universality  of  the  Gospel,  and  with  this  perfect 
understanding  of  his  duty  the  Apostle  walked  straight 
forward  along  the  way  His  Lord  was  beckoning  him, 
without  a  shadow  of  hesitation  or  doubt. 

Peter,  it  is  true,  had  already  beheld  the  Vision  at 
Joppa,  even  before  Paul  entered  on  his  Apostolate  .to  the 
Nations.  In  the  presence  of  the  brethren  of  Judea,  who 
were  so  shocked  at  the  news  that  their  Chief  had  bap- 
tized Pagans,  Peter  had  once  uttered  that  reply  so  admi- 
rable as  a  token  of  his  faith  in  God  and  his  humble 
frankness  toward  his  fellow  men  :  "  Scarcely  had  I  begun 
to  speak  to  them,  when  the  Holy  Ghost  descended  upon 
them,  as  it  descended  upon  us  at  the  first.  ...  If  then 
God  has  given  the  same  gift  to  them  as  to  us  who 
have  believed  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  was  I  that 
I  should  be  able  to  withstand  God."  ^ 

This  utterance,  coming  from  the  Head  of  the  Church, 
did  indeed  shed  a  decisive  light  on  the  future,  yet  it  in 
no  way  altered  the  existing  state  of  things.  The  Twelve, 
even  when  outside  the  confines  of  Judea,  continued  to 

1  Acts  xi.  15,  17. 


EPILOGUE.  413 

proclaim  the  Good  News  almost  exclusively  to  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel,  and  thus  the  great  mass  of  their  converts 
were  still  Jews,  not  only  in  religious  rites,  customs,  and 
manner  of  living,  but  at  heart  and  in  mind.  The  new 
Faith  (so  they  held)  was  only  another  gift  of  God  to 
their  race,  destined  for  the  finishing  and  perfecting  of 
the  true  Israelite  faithful  to  the  Law.  Certainly  the 
Pagans  might  participate  in  these  privileges,  as  hereto- 
fore in  those  of  Mosaism  ;  but  as  a  favor,  and  under 
the  condition  that  they  live  the  life  of  Jews,  and  never 
pretend  to  the  same  lofty  rank  as  the  born  children  of 
the  Covenant.  For  full  fifteen  years  the  leading  men 
of  the  Judaic  Churches,  while  doing  their  best  to  chasten 
the  haughtiness  of  these  racial  views,  did  nothing  to  prop- 
agate the  very  opposite  opinion.  Paul's  title  to  originality  ^ 
lies  in  this,  that  he  paid  no  heed  to  the  popular  view. 

From  the  very  outset,^  he  had  openly  announced  the 
scope  of  his  Apostleship  :  first,  out  of  regard  for  his  - 
Jewish  brethren,  he  would  offer  the  Gospel  to  them,  but 
if  they  refused  it,  he  would  go  to  the  Gentiles,  for  the 
Glad  Tidings  are  meant  for  them  as  much  as  for  Israel, 
and  God  looks  down  upon  us  all  alike,  for  all  are  equally-' 
subject  to  sin,  all  equally  unable  to  shake  off  this  bondage. 
Truly  the  believers  in  Mosaism  hoped  to  win  salvation 
therefrom,  but  they  deceived  themselves  :  external  prac- 
tices do  not  give  men  the  strength  to  resist  evil,  or  free 
themselves  from  its  chains.  Why  then  should  they  seek 
to  burden  the  _Gentiles  with  observances  so  repugnant  to 
their  tastes  ?  Worse  than  useless  !  for  Christ  is  come  to 
call  the  world  unto  liberty  :  let  but  the  Nations  believe 
in  Him,  with  a  Faith  inspired  by  heavenly  Love,  then, 
and  then  only,  would  they  be  justified  in  God's  sight. 

We  have  seen,  once  and  again,  how  great  was  the 
alarm  and  the  scandal  in  the  Church   of  Jerusalem  at 

1  At  Antioch  in  Pisiclia,  the  first  city  where,  after  separating  from 
Mark,  and  having  only  Barnabas  with  him,  he  began  to  act  freely,  as  real 
leader  of  their  missionary  enterprise.  "  You  are  the  first,"  he  told  the 
Jews  of  that  place,  "  to  whom  it  beliooved  us  to  proclaim  the  word  of  God, 
but,  since  you  spurn  it  and  deem  yourselves  unworthy  of  everlasting  life, 
we  are  going  to  the  Gentiles.''     Acts  xiii.  46. 


414  SAINT  PAUL. 

what  they  chose  to  consider  the  novelty  of  this  broad 
view.  The  Apostle  was  not  the  man  to  let  himself  be 
shaken  by  their  clamors.  All  that  the  Judaizers  could 
obtain  from  him  was  comprised  in  a  few  acts  of  honest 
respect  for  the  ancient  Law  ;  but  when  they  broached 
the  question  of  circumcision,  that  peculiar  sign  and  seal 
of  Mosaism,  Paul  was  inflexible  ;  under  no  considerations 
would  he  subject  his  followers  to  this  repellent  rite.  He 
went  even  further,  and  in  the  course  of  his  third  mission 
journey  spoke  of  it  in  terms  of  strongest  condemnation  : 
"  I,  Paul,  tell  you  that,  if  you  allow  yourselves  to  be  cir- 
cumcised, the  Christ  will  avail  you  nothing."  ^ 

This  energetic   constancy  in  resisting  all  attempts  at 
enslavement  were  crowned  with  complete  success.     When 
Paul  watched  the  fast-fading  shores  of  Csesarea  from  the 
deck  of  the  ship  which  was  bearing  him  Romewards,  he 
might  well  go  over  in  his  mind  these  sixteen  years  of 
work  just  past,  and  feel  a  sense  of  holy  joy.     The  Chris- 
i  tian  congregations  founded  by  him  were  spreading  over 
j  all  Asia  and  Greece,  ever  on  the  alert,  fruitful  in  good 
/  works,  untrammelled  by  the  Synagogue,  and  only  retain- 
/  ing  such  rites  and  practices  as  appealed  to  the  emanci- 
pated spirit  of  Christianity.     Only  Jerusalem  and  a  few 
communities    in   Judea    clung    stubbornly    to    the    Old 
Covenant,  but  they  were  shut  up   in    their  close    quar- 
ters, with  no  influence  on  the  outer  world.     The  work 
of  enfranchisement  intrusted  to  the  Apostle  was  accom- 
plished. 

Nor  was  this  external  change  any  more  striking  than 
the  new  aspect  which  Christian  doctrine  was  beginning 
to  wear  in  the  Churches  founded  by  Paul.  The  first  two 
Gospels,  and  the  speeches  of  the  Apostles  in  the  opening 
chapters  of  the  Acts,  show  us  what  that  teaching  was 
like  before  Paul's  time  :  the  Discourses  and  Parables  were 
repeated  as  they  fell  from  our  Lord's  lips,  but  of  their  own 
accord  the  Apostles  added  nothing  save  certain  texts  of 
Scripture  in  confirmation  of  the  Gospel,  or  here  and  there 
some  exclamations  of  faith  and  love.     Paul  had  learned 

1  Gal.  V.  2. 


EPILOGUE.  415 

in  the  schools  of  Jerusalem  to  look  for  the  connecting 
links  between  spiritual  truths,  as  well  as  for  their  mighty 
purport,  and  these  acquirements  he  applied  to  the  study 
and  exposition  of  his  new  Faith.  In  his  trained  mind 
Christian  Kevelation  took  on  a  more  precise  form,  becom- 
ing a  body  of  doctrine  so  powerfully  constructed  that  it 
lasts  to-day  as  the  basework  of  all  our  Theology.  ^  It  \ 
can  be  summed  up  in  a  sentence  :  Fallen  man  cannot 
become  righteous  in  God's  sight  save  through  faith  in  I 
Christ. 

Whence  did  he  derive  this  dogmatic  conception  ?  From 
the  teachings  of  the  Saviour,  so  far  as  its  fundamental 
principles  are  concerned  ;  of  this  there  can  be  no  doubt.^ 
The  mould  in  which  he  cast  his  thoughts  he  found  in  the 
sacred  books  of  Israel  ;  for,  since  the  underlying  ideas  em- 
bodied in  the  Apostolic  doctrine  are  all  there  in  embryo, 
Paul  had  only  to  adopt  the  hallowed  phraseology.  Man's 
fall,  as  described  in  the  first  pages  of  Genesis,^  is  illus- 
trated in  the  sequel  by  the  Old  Testament  *  and  commented 
upon  by  the  Kabbinical  writings.^ 

Still  more  familiar  to  the  Jews  was  the  idea  of  Jus-  \ 
tice,  —  Eighteousness,  as  expressing  and  comprehending 
in  itself  all  the  virtues,  all  sanctity  of  life  ;  we  come  upon 
it  in  every  page  of  sacred  literature.  "My  just  man 
shall  live  by  Faith,"  Habakuk  had  said.^  This  had  been 
regarded  as  one  of  the  obscure  expressions  found  in  the 
Prophet,  —  the  Apostle  made  it  luminous  as  day. 

As  for  his  conception  of  the  Christ,  as  a  Messiah  Who 
is  to  liberate  and  redeem  mankind,  healing  all  the  ills 
our  flesh  is  heir  to,  no  belief  was  more  faithfully  cher- 

1  Of  course  I  do  not  mean  by  this  that  it  was  comparable,  in  point  of 
close  reasoning  and  rigorous  demonstration,  to  our  modern  theological 
compendiums.  S.  Paul's  Epistles  show  us  how  he  set  forth  the  Faith;  he 
was  a  preacher  ratlier  than  a  teacher  ;  as  was  customary  among  Orientals, 
he  never  confined  himself  to  a  methodical  order. 

'^  The  whole  doctrine  of  justification  through  Faith,  as  taught  by  S. 
Paul,  is  contained  implicitly  in  that  saying  of  his  Master,  "  He  who 
believeth  in  me  hath  Eternal  Life."    John  vi.  47. 

3  Gen.  ii.  17. 

*  Wisdom,  i.  13,  14;  ii.  23-25,  etc. 

^  Michel  Nicolas,  Des  Doctrines  Religieuses  des  Juifs,  pp.  392-397. 

^  Habakuk  ii.  4. 


416  SAINT  PAUL. 

ished  by  Israel.  "  He  shall  appear  and  shall  save  us,"  ^  — 
this  had  been  the  Song  which  the  seers  of  old  were  ever 
chanting  in  the  people's  ears. 

From  these  sayings  scattered  over  the  pages  of  Jewish 

Kevelation,  Paul  was  led  by  God's  inspiration  to  form 

^  that  teaching  of  morality  and  holy  living  which  is  our 

standard  to  this  day,     His  glance  fathomed  the  depths  of 

""^Original  Sin;  therein  he  saw  how  man  was  made  flesh, 
how  sin  imprinted  its  law  in  our  members,  and  made 
them  produce  the  fruits  of  death,  our  will  but  too  often 
incapable  of  escaping  from  this  bondage,  and  notably 
powerless  to  attain  to  that  true  Eighteousness  which  the 
Apostle  exalted  to  heights  never  dreamed  of  by  the  Jews. 
In  Paul's  mouth,  indeed,  righteousness  did  not  mean 
simply  a  natural  virtue,  however  perfect  it  might  be  ;  it 
was  the  Divine  Holiness  itself,  communicated  to  our  souls, 
and  thus  preserving  our  will  in  absolute  conformity  with 
that  of  God.  Whence  was  man  to  draw  this  intercourse 
with  the  Eternal  Justice  ?  —  From  Faith,  the  Apostle 
answers,  and  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Eomans  we  are  made  to 
understand  somewhat  of  its  supernatural  power.  Work- 
ing in  us  through  Charity,  it  finally  unites  us  with  Christ, 
in  Whom  is  embodied  all  holiness  and  the  Life  divine. 

/\     Nay,  it  does  more  :  it  creates  in  us  a  new  creature,  whose 

"^very  breath  is  born  of  the  Spirit  of  Jesus.     Once  thus 

;  united  and  belonging  to  Him  through  this  inner  life,  we 

'  can  and  do  but  act  as  He  would  have  us  ;  in  Him  we  die 

to  the  flesh  and  to  sin,  only  to  be  born  again  in  the  spiritual 

life.     In  more  exact  terms,  as  he  himself  puts  it,  Christ 

alone  lives,  acts,  suffers,  dies,  and  rises  again  in  us.     As 

Chief   and   the  first  of  our  regenerated  Humanity,    He 

forms  of  those  who  believe  as  it  were  a  mystical  Body 

whose  members  are  closely  knit  by  charity,  breathing  the 

same  Life,  feeling  the  warm  beating  of  the  one   same 

heart,  —  the  Heart  of  Jesus. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  principal  lesson  Saint  Paul  was 
given  to  teach  the  world.  We  see  now  how  much  it 
added  to  the  earlier  deposit  of  Faith,  and  how  it  set  in 

^  Is.  XXXV.  4. 


EPILOGUE.  417 

Order  the  treasures  of  the  ancient  Heritage.  Other  illu- 
minations from  on  High  were  to  come  in  his  later  years, 
enabling  him  to  describe  Jesus,  His  Divine  Nature,  His 
empire  over  the  world,  His  union  with  the  Church,  His 
Sacrifice,  all  in  clearer  and  more  luminous  light  ;  but  the 
essential  principle  of  the  Apostolic  Doctrine  is  to  be 
found  enshrined  in  the  Epistles  we  have  been  studying. 
Consequently,  when  taking  leave  of  his  Churches  in 
Eastern  lands,  the  Apostle  felt  well  assured  that  he  was 
leaving  with  his  converts  the  perfect  faith  in  Christ,  set 
free  and  unhampered  by  any  compromise  with  the  Truth  ; 
he  had  furthermore  the  glad  conviction  that  it  would  go 
on  triumphant  and  ever  fruitful  in  that  half  of  the  world 
which  he  had  been  evangelizing.  What,  forsooth,  was 
the  opposition  of  a  few  Judaizers,  when  contrasted  with 
the  multitudes  of  faithful  believers  ?  They  could  do 
nothing.  The  humble  thanksgivings  Paul  had  uttered 
at  the  sight  of  converted  Corinth  were  now  fraught  with 
a  twofold  truth. 

"  I  am  the  least  of  the  Apostles,  and  I  am  not  worthy 
of  that  name,  because  I  have  persecuted  the  Church  of 
God  ;  but,  by  God's  grace  I  am  what  I  am,  and  His 
grace  in  me  has  not  been  fruitless.  I  have  labored  more 
abundantly  than  all  the  rest  ;  not  I,  assuredly,  but  the 
grace  of  God  which  is  in  me."  ^ 

1  1  Cor.  XV.  9,  10. 


27 


APPENDIX. 


THE  CHRONOLOGY  OF  THE  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES  FROM 

SAINT  Paul's  first  mission  journey  up  to 

HIS    ARRIVAL   IN    ROME. 

The  dates  of  the  events  recounted  in  this  volume  cannot 
be  determined  with  certainty.  Their  place  in  History  can 
easily  be  set  down  within  a  few  years  ;  but  any  attempt 
to  decide  at  just  what  hour  each  happened  is  an  undertaking 
which  is  constantly  foiled  by  the  divergences  found  in  the 
calculations  of  various  chronologists.  Two  facts,  however, 
whose  precise  dates  are  known,  mark  the  beginning  of  this 
period,  and  the  furthest  limit  that  can  be  assigned  to  it. 
One  of  these  incidents  is  the  death  of  Agrippa,  which  oc- 
curred toward  the  end  of  January,  44  ;  ^  the  other  is  the  ap- 
pearance of  Albinus  in  Judea,  in  the  autumn  of  62,  when  he 
replaced  Festus  in  the  government  of  that  Province.^  This 
period  of  eighteen  years  witnessed  the  three  successive  mis- 
sion journeys  of  Saint  Paul,  and  the  voyage  of  the  Apostle 
as  a  prisoner  from  Csesarea  to  Eome,  —  in  a  word,  that  part 
of  the  Acts  whereof  the  present  work  is  intended  to  serve 
as  a  commentary  (from  chapters  xxiii.  to  xxviii.). 

Critics  generally  agree  in  setting  down  the  first  mission 
journey  to  the  period  which  succeeded  Agrippa's  death; 
the  opinion  is  most  reasonable,  since,  when  once  Judea  was 
reduced  to  a  Roman  Province,  the  Church  enjoyed  a  season 
of  peace  and  liberty  described  by  the  Acts  in  these  words  : 
"  Agrippa  .  .  .  died  ;  now  the  word  of  the  Lord  made  great 
progress,  and  spread  more  and  more."  ^    The  beginnings  of 

1  Josephus,  Antiq.  Jud.,  xix.  viii.  2. 

2  Wieseler,  Chronologie  des  apostoUschen  Zeitalters,  p.  89  et  seq. 

3  Acts  xii.  23,  24. 


420  APPENDIX. 

Saint  Paul's  Apostolate,  described  immediately  thereafter, 
are  evidently  to  be  referred  to  this  era  of  prosperity,  and 
are  its  most  striking  proof  to  the  mind  of  the  sacred  His- 
torian. The  common  opinion  is  that  this  missionary  under- 
taking lasted  several  years,  —  two  at  least,  four  or  five 
according  to  some  ;  ^  I  have  adopted  the  latter  opinion.  On 
his  return  the  Apostle  made  a  rather  long  stay  in  Antioch,^ 
until  the  holding  of  the  Assembly  at  Jerusalem. 

Elsewhere  ^  I  have  explained  why  I  think  this  gathering 
was  convened  in  52.  The  Apostle  did  not  start  on  his  sec- 
ond journey,  till  after  taking  part  in  it,  consequently  not  till 
the  close  of  the  same  year.  He  visited  the  Churches  of 
Syria,  Cilicia,  and  Lycaonia,  traversed  Phrygia  and  the  Ga- 
latian  territory,  then  crossed  over  into  Macedonia,  where  he 
preached  the  Gospel  everywhere.  These  manifold  duties 
certainly  did  not  permit  of  his  reaching  Corinth  before  the 
fall  of  53.  He  remained  a  year  and  a  half  in  that  city,'' 
and  left  it  in  the  spring  of  bb,  as  soon  as  the  sea  routes  were 
open.  The  ship  he  was  on  made  but  a  short  stop  at  Ephe- 
sus,  and  speedily  brought  him  to  Csesarea.  After  a  short 
visit  to  Jerusalem,  he  returned  to  Antioch,  whence  he  lost 
no  time  in  preparing  for  his  third  journey. 

This  time  he  followed  the  same  route  as  on  his  preceding 
journey,  crossed  Galatia  and  Phrygia,  and  arrived  at  Ephe- 
sus  some  time  in  the  autumn  of  55.  His  stay  in  that  city 
was  of  three  years'  duration,^  and  lasted  till  the  Pentecost 
of  58.  The  close  of  this  year  was  occupied  in  Apostolical 
travels  through  Macedonia  and  Illyria.  In  the  course  of 
the  winter  Saint  Paul  arrived  in  Corinth  and  passed  three 
months  there.^  In  the  spring  of  59,  he  took  ship  for  Je- 
rusalem, and,  rounding  the  Archipelago,  reached  the  Holy 
City  in  time  for  the  Pentecost  of  59,  thereafter  suffering  a 
two  years'  imprisonment  in  Csesarea.  He  left  this  city 
before  the  fall  of  61  had  set  in,  and  reached  Eome  in  the 
spring  of  the  year  0)2. 

1  A  comparative  table  of  dates  assigned  by  the  principal  chronologists 
to  the  events  recounted  in  the  Acts  can  be  found  in  Wieseler's  Chronologie 
des  apostolischen  Zeitalters. 

'^  Aiirpifiou  èKf:7  xpôvov  ovk  o\iyov.     Acts  xiv.  27. 

2  Saint  Peter,  Appendix  I. 
*  Acts  xviii.  11. 

^  Acts  xix.  8,  10;  xx.  31. 
6  Acts  xx.  3. 


APPENDIX.  421 

Such  is  the  order  of  time  I  have  followed  in  these  pages. 
Wieseler^  and  the  chronologists  of  his  school,  who  hold 
that  Festus  certainly  succeeded  Felix  in  60,  would  advance 
all  these  events  by  one  year.  But  the  reasons  so  far 
alleged  in  support  of  their  opinion  are  not  convincing,  and 
leave  us  at  perfect  liberty  to  date  this  change  of  adminis- 
tration, as  I  have  thought  best  to  do,  in  the  year  61. 

1  Wieseler,  Chronologie  des  apostoUschen  Zeitalters,  pp.  66-99. 


THE  CONCOEDANCE  OF  THE  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES 

WITH  CONTEMPORARY   HISTORY. 


Years. 


41 


44. 


45. 


46. 


47. 


53. 


54. 


55. 


58. 


59. 


61. 
62. 


Emperors. 

Claudius  (Jan. 
24th). 


Governors  of  Judea. 


Death  of  Herod  Agrippa. 

Cuspius     Fadus     made 

Procurator  of  Judea. 


Events  recorded  in  the  Acts. 


Tiberius        Alexander, 

Procurator. 
Ventidius        Cuniauu.s, 

Procurator. 


Claudius  de- 
crees the  ex- 
pulsion of 
Jews  from 
Rome. 


Felix,  1-rocurator. 


Nero,  Em])er- 
or  (Octol)er 
13th). 


Festus  made    Procura 
tor  of  Judea. 


First  Mission  Journey  of  S.  Paul. 
Cyprus,  Antioch  in  Pisidia,  Lycao- 
nia.  Returns  to  Antioch  four  or 
five  vears  later. 


S.  Paul's  residence  in  Antioch. 

Apostolic  Assembly  at  Jerusalem. 

Second  Mission  Journey.  S.  Paul 
visits  the  Churches  of  Cilicia  and 
Galatia,  and  evangelizes  Philippi, 
Thessalonica,  Berœa  and  Athens. 

S.  Paul  arrives  at  Corinth  in  tlie  Au- 
tumn of  53. 

He  resides  in  this  city  for  a  year  and 
a  lialf.     1st  and  2d  Epistles  to 

THE  THESSAI.ONIANS. 

S.  Paul  leaves  Corinth  in  the  Spring 
of  55.  Fourth  visit  to  Jerusalem, 
Third  Mission  Journey.  He  starts 
from  Antioch,  travels  through  Cili- 
cia, Plirygia,  and  Galatia. 

The  Apostle  arrives  at  Ephesus  in 
the  Autumn  of  55. 

Resides  three  years  in  this  city.  1st 
Epistle  to  the  Corinthians. 

Pentecost  of  58  :  S.  Paul  leaves  Ephe- 
sus, visits  Macedonia,  preaches  in 
lllyria,  2d  Epistle  to  the  Co- 
rinthians. 

In  the  latter  months  of  58  S.  Paul 
arrives  in  Corinth. 

Remains  for  three  months  in  that  city. 

Epistles  to  the  Galatians  and 
Romans. 

Spring  of  59  :  the  Apostle  leaves  Cor- 
inth, and  takes  ship  around  the 
Archipelago. 

Pentecost  of  59  :  S.  Paul  arrives  in 
Jerusalem 

Two  years'  imprisonment  at  Csesarea. 

The  Apostle's  departure  from  Caesa- 
rea  before  the  Autumn  of  61, 

Voyage  and  shipwreck. 

Spring  of  62  :  S.  Paul  arrives  in 
Rome. 


INDEX. 


Abraham,  Father  of  the  faithful,  319. 

AcHAiA,  evangelized  by  Thessaloni- 
ans,  127;  by  Paul,  168;  extent,  182. 

AcROCORiNTHUs,  159  et  seq. 

Acropolis,  143. 

^GINA,  139. 

Agabus  (Prophet),  in  Cassarea,  359. 

Agape,  in  Jerusalem,  66;  elsewhere, 
68;  in  prison  at  Philippi,  121;  in 
Jerusalem,  185;  in  early  Church, 
205;  at  Corinth,  258;  at  Troas,  351. 

Agora  of  Athens,  147. 

Agrippa,  see  Herod. 

Agrippina,  130,  179. 

AiA-SoLOUK,  218,  220;  meaning  of 
name,  226. 

Alexander  of  Ephesus,  289. 

Alexandria,  its  religious  tendencies, 
56. 

Alleluia,  202. 

Amen,  202,  206. 

Amphipolis,  124. 

Amyntas,  19. 

Ananias  of  Damascus,  371. 

Ananias,  the  High  Priest,  373  ;  appears 
against  Paul,  382. 

Ancyra,  metropolis  of  Galatia,  99. 

Angels,  375. 

Antichrist,  178. 

Antioch,  contrasted  with  Jerusalem, 
2;  liberal  tendencies,  59;  appeal  to 
Jerusalem,  63;  answer  received,  74; 
again  disturbed  by  Judaizers,  76; 
prosperity  of  this' Church,  80;  re- 
visited by  Paul,  213;  progress  made, 
214;  contrasted  with  Ephesus,  235. 

Antioch  in  Pisidia,  a  dependency  of 
Galatia,  20;  described,  26;  cultus, 
27;  Church  foundeil,  33;  synagogue's 
emissaries  in  Lystra,  42;  revisited 
by  Paul,  48, 94  ;  Pagan  tendencies,  96. 

Antipatris,  379. 

Antonia,  Tribune's  fortress,  368. 

Aphrodite,  221. 

Apollonia,  125. 


Apollos,  earlier  life,  223;  in  Ephesus, 
224;  goes  to  Corinth,  225;  influence 
there,  252;  returns  to  Ephesus,  255; 
"  I  of  Apollos,"  264  et  seq.  ;  declines 
mission  to  Corinth,  280. 

Apostasy,  177. 

Apostles  in  early  Church,  189,  198  ; 
their  Epistles,  203;  Churches  organ- 
ized by  them,  229;  trials,  265. 

Appeal  to  Rome,  391. 

Appian  Way  and  Forum,  410. 

Aquila  meets  Paul  in  Corinth,  161; 
after  life,  162;  Paul's  fellow  pas- 
senger to  Ephesus,  213;  meeting 
with  Apollos,  224;  life  in  Ephesus, 
225;  with  Paul  again,  240,  284;  in 
Rome,  341. 

Archelaus,  19. 

Areopagus,  146;  powers,  149;  "Mars' 
Hill,  150;  rejects  Paul's  preaching, 
151  et  seq. 

Arethusa,  125. 

Argos,  evangelized  by  Paul,  168. 

Aristarchus,  135;  Paul's  companion, 
215;  arrested  in  Paul's  stead,  288; 
accompanies  Paul  to  Jerusalem,  347; 
with  him  in  Cœsarea,  387  ;  his  fellow 
traveller  to  Rome,  398. 

Artemis,  Diana  of  Ephesus,  220,  286 
et  seq. ;  statue,  291. 

Artemision,  286. 

Asceticism,  340. 

Asia  Minor,  described,  17  et  seq.  ; 
Paul's  hopes  for  it,  80;  field  of  his 
labors,  chap.  v.  ;  Ephesus  its  metrop- 
olis, 215. 

Asia  (Province  of),  101;   Ephesus  its 

capital,  222;    evangelized  bv  Paul's 

disciples,  230,  236;    described,  236; 

commerce,  238:  scholars,  239;  limits, 

I      241. 

j  Asiarchs  of  Ephesus,  289. 

Assembly  of  Jerusalem,   chap,   iii.j 
I      decrees,  214. 
I  Assos,  352. 


424 


INDEX. 


AsTARTË,  Phœnician  Venus,  9;  cult 
at  Sidon,  95;  identity  with  Diana  of 
Ephesus,  221. 

Athens,  see  chap.  vi. 

Attales,  19. 

Attalia,  49. 

Augustus,  last  will,  19,  99  ;  wor- 
shipped in  Galatia,  100. 

Authenticity  of  Acts  and  Epistles, 
vi.  et  seq. 

Bapt'ism  of  Jailer  at  Philippi,  121  ;  of 
Corinthians,  165;  in  early  Church, 
192;  "of  John,"  223,  228;  after 
death,  276. 

Bak-Jesus,  "The  Sage,"  14;  blinded 
by  Paul,  15. 

Baknabas,  in  Antioch,  1;  ordained, 
5  ;  Avith  Paul  in  Cyprus,  7  ;  in  Pam- 
phylia,  21  ;  driven  from  Antioch  in 
Pisidia,  33;  from  Iconium,  38;  wor- 
shipped as  Jupiter,  41  ;  in  Derbc,  43  ; 
return,  49;  withstands  Judaizers,  02; 
accompanies  Paul  to  Jerusalem,  03  ; 
speech  before  Assembly,  71;  quarrel 
with  Paul,  89;  character  and  life 
work,  83;  his  so-called  Epistle,  84. 

Berenice,  statue  in  Athens,  147;  his- 
torical notice,  392;  hears  Paul,  393. 

Berœa,  134-138. 

Bishops  of  Philippi,  123;  in  Didache, 
186. 

Bithynia,  102,  241. 

Breaking  of  Bread,  see  Eucharist. 

Bribery,  under  Roman  law,  378;  its 
practice,  386. 

Cabiri  of  Samothrace,  108. 

C^SAREA  in  Palestine,  visited  by  Paul, 
213;  on  the  way  to  Jerusalem,  358, 
imprisonment,  chap.  xvii. 

Caius,  or  Gains,  of  Corinth,  165;  Paul's 
companion,  215;  when  baptized,  262; 
arrested  in  Paul's  stead,  287  ;  rejoins 
Paul,  313;  accompanies  him  to  Jeru- 
salem, 347. 

Caligula,  130. 

Caria,  101. 

Castor  and  Pollux,  409. 

Catechists,  198. 

Cayster,  218. 

Celibacy,  269. 

Cephas,  same  as  Peter,  78;  "  I  of 
Cephas,''  262;  served  by  sisterhood, 
273. 

Cethim,  origin  of  name,  5. 

Chancellor  of  Ephesus,  290. 

Charity,  the  greatest  Gift,  275;  in 
Paul's  teaching,  chap.  xiv.  jyassim. 


Chastity,  257,  269. 

Chios,  353. 

Chloë,  conversion.  166;  in  Corinth, 
259  ;  relations  with  Paul,  260,  262. 

Chronology,  see  Appendix  and  Table, 
422. 

Church  of  Jerusalem,  Judaic  tenden- 
cies, 1  et  seq.  ;  conservatism,  53  ; 
doctrines,  60;  emissaries  in  Antioch, 
62;  opposition  to  Paul,  64  et  seq.  ; 
poverty,  69  ;  reactionists,  185  ;  cele- 
bration of  Eucharist,  205  ;  Judaizing 
element,  211;  visited  by  Paul,  213; 
its  condition,  214  ;  the  collection, 
282;  regarded  by  Paul  as  centre  of 
unity,  311;  reception  of  him,  362; 
disfavor  shown  him,  376;  tendencies 
examined,  413  et  seq. 

CiLiciA,  visited  b}'  Paul,  87. 

CiLiciAN  Gates, '88. 

Circumcision,  how  regarded  in  the 
Diaspora,  58;  in  Jerusalem,  59;  in 
general,  62;  opposed  by  Paul,  62; 
upheld  b}' Jerusalem  Christians,  65; 
in  the  Apostles'  conference,  67; 
question  of  Titus's  circumcision,  68 
et  seq.  ;  contemned  by  Peter,  71  ; 
Timothy  circumcised,  92;  doctrine 
of  Judaizers,  314;  "Gospel  of  the 
Circumcision,"  317;  sole  end  of 
Judaizers,  325. 

Citizenship  (Roman),  claimed  b}^  Paul 
in  Philippi,  122;  in  Jerusalem,  372; 
right  of  appeal,  391. 

Claudius  (Emperor),  130;  last  days, 
178. 

Cleanthes,  quoted  by  Paul,  152. 

Clement  of  Philippi,  *115. 

Collection  for  Jerusalem,  69  ;  in 
Galatia,  217;  in  Achaia,282;  Pauline 
regulations,  284;  anxiety  concerning 
it,  301;  exhortations,  303;  completed, 
312. 

Colonize  of  Rome,  Iconium,  35;  Troas, 
103;  Philippi,  110,  118. 

CoLOss.E,  243. 

Communion,  see  Eucharist. 

CoRESSUS  (Mt.),  218  et  seq. 

Corinth  (Church  of),  foundation,  chap. 
vii.  §  1;  members,  166;  regarded  as 
type,  186;  celebration  of  Eucharist, 
205;  firmly  established,  211;  con- 
trasted with  that  of  Ephesus,  215, 
222,  235;  visited  by  Apollos,  225; 
dissensions  and  Paul's  Is^  Epistle, 
chap,  xi.;  Titus's  mission,  294;  2d 
Epistle,  296;  Paul's  second  (?)  voy- 
age thither,  307;  later  prosperity, 
309  ;  Paul's  second  visit,  313. 


INDEX. 


425 


Counsels  of  Perfection,  269. 
Crispus  of  Corinth,  165;  baptized  bv 
Paul,  262. 

CUMANUS,  380. 

CVbele,  the  "Great  Mother"  of  the 
Phrygians,  95  et  sea.  ;  etHgy  at  Pes- 
sinus,  100,  221,  248. 

Cybira,  246. 

Cyprus,  name,  1;  Barnabas's  birth- 
place, 5;  described,  8;  religion,  9; 
constitution,  12  ;  Pliny's  account  of 
its  magicians,  13;  Barnabas  its  Apos- 
tle, 83;  passed  by  Paul,  399. 

Dalmatia,  312. 

Damaris,  155. 

Day  (Last),  see  Parousia. 

Deacons    of   Philippi,    123;    in    the 

Didache,  186  ;   duties,  206. 
Demetrius,  287. 
Derbe,  38;  visited  by  Paul,  43  ;  again, 

89,  216. 
Derceto,  Chanaanitish  Venus,  9. 
Diana  of  Perga,  49  ;  of  Ephesus,  221, 

232. 
DiONYSiAC  Mysteries,  112. 
DioNYsius,  the  Areopagite,  155. 
Discipline  of  Secrecy,  187. 
Dispersion  (Jews  of' the),  52  et  seq.  ; 

longings  for  Messiah,  127. 
DiuM,  137. 

Doctors  in  early  Church,  186  et  seq. 
Dominical  Da^'  in  early  Church,  208. 
Drusilla,  wife  of  Felix,  381,  385. 
Duumvirs  of  Philippi,  118  et  seq. 

Earthquake,  120. 

Ebionites,  339  et  seq. 

Education  in  Athens,  142. 

Egnatian  Road,  described,  108  et 
seq.;  followed  by  Paul,  110,  124, 
125,  126,  135,  311;  connections,  398. 

Elders  of  Philippi,  123;  in  early 
Church,  188,  198  ;  of  Ephesus,  354." 

Eleusis,  158. 

Elogium,  379. 

Ep.enetus,  227,  341. 

Epaphras,  Bishop  of  Laodicea,  246. 

Epaphroditus,  115. 

Ephesus,  Paul's  plans,  101  ;  short  stay 
there,  213  ;  described,  chap.  ix.  ;  ad- 
vantages, 236  ;  heathen  cultus,  286  ; 
Paul's  departure,  292;  passed  by, 
353;  farewell  to  Elders,  354. 

Epicureans  at  Athens,  142,  148,  153, 
154. 

Epistle  "  of  , Barnabas,"  83  ;  later 
than  Didache,  186. 

Epistles  of  Paul:    to   the   Thessalo- 


nians,  169  et  seq.  ;  pseudo-Epistles, 
175;  2ri  Thess.,  lib  et  seq.  ;  recogni- 
tion, 203,  classification,  203  et  seq.  ; 
1st  Cur.,  chap.  xi.  :  2f/  Cor.,  296  et 
seq.  ;  Galatians,  217,  315  et  seq.  ; 
Romans,  chap.  xiv. 

Erastus,  Treasurer  of  Corinth,  166  ; 
Paul's  companion,  215  ;  sent  with 
Timothy  to  Corinth,  260  ;  rejoins 
Paul,  293;  with  him  in  Corinth, 
312. 

EssENES,  228,  340. 

Eucharist,  at  Philippi,  121;  abuses  at 
Corinth,  167;  at  Jerusalem,  185; 
ritual  in  early  Church,  188;  origin 
of  word,  201;  development,  204; 
form,  206;  season  for  celebration, 
207  et  seq.;  Pieal  Presence,  210;  at 
Corinth,  258;  "Lord's  Table,"  272; 
preparation  needful,  274;  in  Troas, 
350. 

Eunice,  Timothy's  mother,  43;  re- 
visited by  Paul,  89;  origin,  90. 

Eunuchs  of  Galatia,  100  ;  Megabvses, 
221. 

EUKAQUILO,  402. 

Evangelists    in  early  Church,   189, 

198  ;  see  Luke,  PhTlip. 
Eutychus,  restored  to  life,  351. 
Excommunication,    first    mentioned, 

176;    of   incestuous  Corinthian,   267 

et  seq.,  294,  297. 
Exorcisms,  at  Ephesus,  232. 

Faith  in  Paul's  theology,  chaps,  xiii. 

and  xiv.,  passim. 
Fasts  in  Synagogue  and  early  Church, 

209;    of '"Great  Forgiveness,"  401, 

405. 
Felix,  historical  notice,  380;  treatment 

of  Paul,  385  et  seq.;  deposed,  388; 

leaves  Paul  "  in  chains,"  389. 
Festus,    appointed    Procurator,   389  ; 

treatment  of  Paul,  389  et  seq.  ;  brings 

him  before  Agrippa,  393;    transfers 

him  to  Rome,  397. 
Fornication,  269. 
Fortunatus,  312. 
Frapping,  403. 

Gaius,  see  Caius. 

Galatia,  chap,  ii.;  derivation,  44; 
Church  founded,  44;  historical  no- 
tice, 97;  peoples,  climate,  etc.,  98  et 
seq.;  cultus,  100;  visited  byPaul, 
101  ;  his  affection  for  this  Church, 
124;  revisited,  216;  disturbed  by 
Judaizers,  313;  Paul's  Epistle,  315 
et  seq. 


426 


INDEX. 


Galli,   eunuchs   of  Galatia,    100;    in 

Asia  Minor,  248. 
Gallic,   Proconsul    of  Corinth,   182; 

releases  Paul,  183. 
Gangitks,  or  Gangas,  113. 
Galls,  founders  of  Galatian  tribes,  97; 

loudness  for  Phrygian  cult,  100. 
Gift  of  Tongues,  possessed  by  Paul, 

•40  ;  treated  of,  187,  189  ;  origin  and 

history,    192   et  seq.  ;     at   Ephesus, 

228;  in  early  Church,  257,  274. 
Gnosticism,   117;    in  Asia,  248;    in 

Rome,  340. 
Gospel  in  early  Church,  203;  of  Paul, 

249  ;•  only  one  Gospel,  316  ;  see  Luke. 
Greece,  103. 

Hellespont,  107. 

Heresy,  177;  in  Asia  Minor,  247. 

Hekmus  (R.),  218. 

Herod  Agrippa  (H.),  in  Caesarea, 
391;  historical  notice,  392;  hears 
Paul,  393  et  seq. 

Hierapolis,  242  et  seq. 

Hierarchy,  indetermined,  4;  priests 
ordained,  48  ;  at  Philippi,  123  ;  in 
the  Didache,  186;  in  early  church, 
chap,  viii.,  passim  ;  at  Corinth,  257. 

High  Priests,  in  Paul's  times,  373  et 
seq.  ;  Ismael  ben  Phabi,  389. 

Hillel,  President  of  Sanhédrin,  374. 

Hymns  in  early  Church,  199. 

Hyrcanus,  147. 

IcoNiUM,  government,  20;  described, 
34  ;  Roman  Colony,  35  ;  Church 
founded,  36  ;  opposition  of  Jews,  37  ; 
Paul  expelled,  38;  sends  emissaries 
to  Lystra,  42;  revisited  by  Paul,  48; 
Church  consulted,  91;  Timothy  or- 
dained, 94;  again  visited  by  Paul, 
216. 

Idols,  271. 

Illyria,  evangelized  by  Paul,  311. 

Incest,  in  Corinth,  260;  rebuked,  266, 
294,  297. 

Interpreters  in  early  Church,  199. 

IzATES,  King  of  Adiabenë,  58  et  seq. 

Jailer  of  Philippi,  119  et  seq. 

James  (S.),  Judaic  sympathies,  1,  61; 
appealed  to  from  Antioch,  63  ;  devo- 
tion to  Law,  64;  conference  of  Apos- 
tles, 66  ;  speech  before  Assembly,  71  ; 
authority  alleged  by  Judaizers,  76  ; 
welcomes  Paul,  362;  pacitic  pro- 
posals,   363. 

Jason,  Paul's  host,  127;  arrested,  132  ; 
released  on  bail,  134. 


Jerusalem,  destruction  foretold,  173, 
signs  to  precede  it,  177  et  seq.  ; 
visited  by  Paul,  64,  213,  362.  See 
Church  of  Jerusalem. 

Jews  of  Cyprus,  13;  of  Antioch  in 
Pisidia,  28;  opposition  to  Paul,  32; 
of  Iconium,  35  ;  emissaries  in  Lystra, 
42  ;  of  the  Diaspora,  52  et  seq.  ;  of 
Galatia,  99;  unpopularity,  ll8;  of 
Thessalonica,  127  ;  plots  against 
Paul,  132;  of  Berœa,  135;  of 
Corinth,  161  ;  opposition  to  Paul, 
165;  Paul  and  Seneca  on  Jewish 
character,  181  ;  plots,  182  ;  discom- 
fiture, 183;  of  Ephesus,  222;  per- 
secute Paul,  229;  of  Asia,  247; 
opposition  to  ApoUos,  253;  in  the 
riot  at  Ephesus,  289;  accused  of 
thievery,  291;  of  Macedonia,  293; 
the  true  Jew,  331;  their  future,  337; 
machinations  in  Corinth,  346;  in 
Thessalonica,  348  ;  of  Jerusalem, 
361;  attack  Paul,  367  et  seq. 

John  (S),  in  Jerusalem,  63;  attitude 
toward  Paul,  64;  at  Apostle's  con- 
ference, 66;  Revelations,  194;  in 
Ephesus,  219,  226;  teaching  com- 
pared with  Paul's,  249. 

John  Baptist,  influence  in  Antioch  of 
Pisidia,  30;  in  Ephesus,  223,  228. 

John  Mark,  same  as  Mark  Evangel- 
ist, Ô. 

JuDA  (Bar-Saba),  sent  to  Antioch,  74. 

Judaizers,  in  Mother  Church,  1  ;  op- 
posed by  Paul,  51;  in  Antioch,  60; 
defeated  in  Assembly,  70  et  seq.  ; 
in  Antioch  again,  76;  thwarted  by 
Paul,  78;  activity  in  Corinth,  255; 
and  Macedonia,  293;  scourged  by 
Paul,  304;  tendencies,  chap,  xiii., 
327,  412  et  seq.  ;  in  Epistle  to  Romans, 
344;  at  Jerusalem,  361. 

Judgment  Day.     See  Parousta. 

Julius  (Centurion),  historical  notice, 
397;  esteem  for  Paul,  398;  neglects 
Paul's  counsels,  401;  shipwreck  and 
respect  shown  Apostle,  405;  on  the 
journey  to  Rome,  409  et  seq. 

Jus  Italicum,  27;  enjoved  by  Troas, 
103;  Philippi,  110,  118;  122. 

Justification  by  Faith,  in  Epistle  to 
Galatians,  319;'  to  Romans,  chap, 
xiv.;  source,  415. 

Justus,  his  home  the  first  sanctuary  of 
Corinth,  165. 

Kali  Limenes  (Fair  Havens),  400. 
Kara-Dagh,  38,  89. 
Keduscha,  Thanksgiving,  201. 


INDEX. 


427 


Kenchk^ea,  158,  159;  evangelized  bv 

Paul,  168;  revisited,  212. 
Kiss  OF  Peace,  in  early  Church,  205. 

Laodicea,  95,  242  ei  seq. 

Law  of  Israel,  variously  viewed,  53  et 
seq.  ;  regarded  by  Jerusalem  Chris- 
tians, 60,  65, 185;  read  in  Synagogue 
and  Church,  202;  contemned  by  Paul, 
chap,  xiii.,  /»«àsiwt,  326;  contrasted 
with  Faith,  chap.  xiv. 

Liturgy  of  Temple,  Synagogue,  and 
Church,  198  et  seq. 

Lois,  Timothy's  grandmother,  43;  re- 
visited by  Paul,  89. 

Lucius,  pastor  at  Antioch,  2. 

Luke,  credibility,  vi;  portrait  of  Paul 
imperfect,  ix;  joins  Paul,  105;  char- 
acter, 106;  remains  at  Philippi,  123; 
rejoins  Paul  in  Macedonia,  293;  sent 
to  Corinth,  301  ;  fame  as  Evangelist, 
302,  348;  with  Paul  in  Corinth,  312; 
his  fellow  traveller,  348;  with  him 
in  Cœsarea,  387;  his  Gospel  inspired 
by  Paul,  388;  voyage  with  Paul  to 
Rome,  398  et  seq. 

Lycaonia,  34;  described,  38;  church, 
45  ;  revisited  by  Paul,  89  ;  during 
third  journey,  216. 

Lycus  Valley,  242  et  seq. 

Lydia,  converted,  114;  her  home  the 
first  sanctuary  at  Philippi,  115  ; 
Paul's  hostess,  116. 

Lysias,  Tribune  of  Jerusalem,  368; 
conduct  toward  Paul,  372  et  seq.  ; 
letter  to  Felix,  378  ;  blamed  by  Jews, 
383. 

Lystra,  38  et  seq.;  siiperstitions,  40; 
offering  sacrifice  to  Apostles,  41; 
fickleness  of  populace,  43;  Paul 
stoned,  43;  his  second  visit,  48; 
third,  89;  fourth,  216. 

Macedonia,  Paul  summoned  thither, 
104;  labors  there,  chap,  v.;  oppo- 
sition, 146;  support,  164;  part  of 
Achaia,  235;  Paul's  messengers,  260; 
second  visit,  chap,  xi.,  §  II.,  311. 

Magi,  meaning  of  word,  14. 

Magic,  Books  of,  destroyed  at  Ephe- 
sus,  233. 

Magicians  of  Cyprus,  13;  of  Ephesus, 
232. 

Malta,  scene  of  Paul's  shipwreck, 
406  et  seq. 

Manahen,  pastor  at  Antioch,  2. 

Maranatha,  meaning,  279. 

Mark  (S.),  character,  5;  same  as  John 
Mark,  6;    work  in  Cj'prus,  11;  op- 


position to  Paul,  16,  23;  breaks  with 
him,  24;  causes  rupture  between 
Paul  and  Barnabas,  81  et  seq.  ;  after 
life,  85. 

Markiage,  256;  duties,  269  et  seq. 

Mass,  when  celebrated  in  first  century, 
208. 

Mars'  Hill,  150. 

Meander  (R.),  218,243. 

Meats,  prohibited,  57;  by  Assembly, 
68;  regulated  by  Paul,  271. 

Megabyses,  eunuchs  of  Ephesus,  221. 

Megara,  158. 

Messalina,  130. 

Miletus,  visited  by  Paul,  353. 

Miracles,  incredible?  vi;  worked  by 
Paul,  15,  35,  40,  163,  187,  189,  231, 
257,  351,  407,  408;  in  Paul's  teach- 
ing, 263. 

MlTYLENii,  352. 

Mnason  of  Cyprus,  360. 

MONTANUS,  2*48. 

Mosaism,  discarded  by  Paul,  346;  and 

see  Judaizers. 
Myra,  399. 
Mysia,  101,  102,  241 . 
Mysteries  of  Samothrace,  108;    the 

Dyonisiac,  112. 

Nabi,  "Prophet,"  190. 

Narcissus,  342. 

Nazarite,  life  led  by  S.  James,  71; 
Paul  takes  vows,  212;  pavs  expenses 
of  four,  362;  the  vow,  363. 

Neapolis,  108. 

Neocoros,  or  Custodian,  290. 

Nephew  of  Paul,  377. 

Nero,  130  ;  the  "Man  of  Sin,"  179; 
influenced  by  Poppœa,  388;  Em- 
peror, 411. 


Observances  (Legal),  in  Jerusalem, 
64;  in  Mother  Church,  65;  not  im- 
posed on  Gentiles,  69,  74  ;  finally 
discarded  bv  Paul,  346;  not  observed 
at  Passover',  349.     See  Law. 

Octave  of  Easter,  349. 

Olympus  (Mt.),  102,  112. 

Orders  (Holy),  see  Hierarchy  and 
Priesthood. 

Orontes  (R.),  6. 

Orpheus,  112. 

OssA,  129. 

Pallas  Athene,  143. 

Pamphylia.  17:  an  Imperial  Prov- 
ince, 20  ;  described,  21  ;  Paul's  first 
visit,  21;  return,  48. 


428 


INDEX. 


Pandemos,  Venus  of  Corinth,  160. 

Paphos,  shrine  of  Venus,  10;  de- 
scribed, 11;  new  and  old  town,  12, 

Papias,  Bishop  of  Hierapolis,  250. 

Pakousia,  129  etseq.,  171  et stq.,  270. 

Parthenon,  143,  151. 

Passover,  as  observed  by  Jews  and 
tirst  Christians,  209;  the  Octave, 
349. 

Patara,  356. 

Paul,  in  Acts  and  Epistles,  viii  ;  a 
subordinate  in  Antioch,  2;  ordained 
Priest,  5  ;  journey  to  Cyprus,  7  ; 
summoned  to  Paphos,  11;  confronts 
Bar-Jesus,  14  ;  converts  Sergius 
Paulus,  15;  humility,  15;  Saul  and 
Paul,  16;  assumes  leadership,  16; 
voyage  to  Pamphylia,  21;  arrival  in 
Perga,  23;  distress  at  Mark's  defec- 
tion, 24  ;  journey  to  Antioch  in  Pisid- 
ia,  26;  sojourn  there,  28;  discourse 
in  Synagogue,  30;  laborious  life,  31; 
turns  to  Gentiles,  32;  banished,  33; 
goes  to  Iconium,  35  ;  driven  thence, 
38;  in  Lycaonia,  40;  worshipped  as 
Mercury  in  Lystra,  41  ;  stoned,  43  ; 
in  Derbë,  43;  affection  for  Galatians, 
45;  sickness  in  Lycaonia,  46;  revis- 
its Lystra,  Iconium,  and  Antioch  in 
Pisidia,  48;  recrosses  Taurus  to 
Perga,  48;  return  to  Antioch,  49; 
Titus  his  companion,  60  ;  opposed  by 
Jerusalem  Christians,  62  ;  visits 
Holy  City,  64  ;  confers  with  Apostles, 
66  ;  prevents  circumcision  of  Titus, 
68;  triumphs  in  Assembly,  69;  re- 
bukes Peter  in  Antioch,  77;  Judaiz- 
ers  crushed,  78  ;  rupture  with  Barna- 
bas, 80  ;  visits  Syrian  Churches,  86  ; 
in  Cilicia,  87  ;  crosses  Cicilian  Tau- 
rus, 88;  revisits  Lycaonian  Churches, 
89;  in  Lystra,  9Ô;  circumcises  and 
ordains  Timothy,  92  ;  love  for  the 
latter,  93;  successes  in  Phrygia,  96; 
road  taken  into  Galatia,  9G;  forbid- 
den to  visit  Ephesus,  101;  reaches 
Troas,  102  ;  bidden  to  Macedonia, 
104;  meets  Luke,  105;  latter's  in- 
fluence on  Apostle,  106;  voyage  to 
Macedonia,  107  ;  slight  interest  in 
Mythology,  108;  arrival  in  Neapo- 
lis,  109;  in  Philippi,  112;  preaches 
in  Proseuk,  113  ;  entertained  bv 
Lydia,  114;  exorcises  Pythoness, 
117;  dragged  before  magistrates, 
118;  whipped  and  imprisoned,  119  ; 
conversion  of  Jailer,  120;  victory 
over  Duumvirs,  122;  quits  Philippi, 
123;   in  Amphipolis,  124;   in  Apol- 


lonia,  125;  Thessalonica,  126;  com- 
pelled to  leave,  134;  in  Berœa,  136; 
again  a  fugitive,  137;  voyage  to 
Athens.  139  ;  appreciation  o'f  Greek 
art,  144;  illness,  145;  preaching  in 
the  Synagogue  and  streets,  146  ;  em- 
phasises   doctrine    of    Resurrection, 

149  ;    preaching    before    Areopagus, 

150  ;  mocked  by  Athenians,  153  ; 
teaching  contrasted  with  Philoso- 
phers', 154;  leaves  for  Corinth,  157  ; 
route  taken,  158;  meets  Aquila  and 
Priscilla  in  Corinth,  161;  preaches 
in  Synagogue,  163  ;  leaves  it  to  work 
among  Gentiles,  165;  a  leader  con- 
verted, 165  ;  persecutions  and  anxie- 
ties, 168  ;  writes  to  Thessalonians, 
169;  2d  Thessalonians,  175;  opinion 
of  Jews,  181;  before  Gallio,  182; 
released,  183;  preaching  in  Achaia, 
184  ;  the  Gift  of  Tongues,  184;  value 
set  by  him  on  Apostolic  Letters,  204; 
views  concerning  Sunday,  209  ; 
leaves  Corinth,  211  ;  takes  Nazaritic 
vow,  212;  journey  to  Jerusalem,  and 
Antioch,  213  ;  sets  out  on  third  mis- 
sion, 215;  arrival  in  Ephesus,  225; 
laborious  life,  226;  persecutions, 
229  ;  miracles,  231  ;  work  in  Asia, 
246  ;  teaching  contrasted  with  John's, 
249  ;  maligned  by  Judaizers,  255  : 
first  letter  to  Corinthians  not  pre- 
served to  us,  259;  sends  Timothy 
and  Erastus  to  Corinth,  261;  1st 
Ejyistle  to  Corinthians,  262  et  seq.  ; 
excommunicates  incestuous  man, 
266;  disciplinary  laws,  268;  vindi- 
cates his  Apostieship,  272;  anxiety 
for  Timothv,  280  ;  various  plans, 
281;  sends' Titus  to  Achaia,  282; 
physical  sufferings,  285  ;  silver- 
smiths' riot,  288  ;  quits  Ephesus  for 
Troas,  292;  in  Macedonia,  293;  2d 
Epistle  to  Corinthians,  296  tt  seq.  ; 
versatility  of  style,  298;  depicts  his 
sufferings,  299  ;  visits  various  Prov- 
inces, 311;  sets  out  for  Achaia,  312; 
arrival  in  Corinth,  313  ;  opposed  by 
Judaizers,  313;  Epistle  to  Galatians, 
315;  writes  Epistle  to  Romans,  chap, 
xiv,  ;  in  peril  from  Corinthian  Jews, 
346;  sets  out  for  Jerusalem,  347;  in 
Philippi,  348  ;  sails  for  Asia,  349;  in 
Troas,  350;  restores  Eutychus  to  life, 
351  ;  foot  journey  to  Assos,  352  ;  fare- 
well to  Ephesians  in  Miletus,  354; 
reaches  Rhodes,  355  ;  changes  ships 
in  Patara,  356  ;  in  Tyre,  357  ;  Caesa- 
rea,  358;  Agabus's  prophecy,  359; 


INDEX. 


429 


sorrowful  leavetaking,  359;  opposed 
by  both  Jews  and  Judaizers,  361;  in 
Jerusalem,  362;  assents  to  James's 
proposals,  364;  in  Temple  with  Naz- 
arites,  365  ;  attacked  by  Jews,  367  ; 
rescue  and  arrest,  368;  addresses 
Jews,  369  ;  threatened  with  whip- 
ping, 372;  asserts  his  Roman  citizen- 
ship before  Lysias,  373  ;  before  San- 
hédrin, 374;  comforted  by  Our  Lord, 
376  ;  removed  to  C^sarea,  379  ; 
speech  before  Felix,  383;  rebukes 
Felix  and  Drusilla,  386;  while  in 
prison,  inspires  Luke  to  write  his 
Gospel,  388  ;  appeals  from  Festus  to 
Rome,  390;  before  Herod  Agrippa, 
394;  sails  for  Rome,  398;  visits 
Sidon,  398;  prophetical  warning  to 
Julius,  401;  storm  and  shipwreck, 
402  et  seq.  ;  Malta,  and  miracles 
worked  there,  407;  did  he  then  found 
Maltese  Church,  408  ;  voyage  to 
Puteoli,  409  ;  welcomed  there,  410  ; 
arrival  in  Rome,  411  ;  results  of  his 
labors  reviewed,  412  et  seq. 

Pelion  (Mt.),  139. 

Peloponnesus,  139. 

Pentp:cost,  as  observed  by  Jews  and 
first  Christians,  209. 

Perga,  site,  21;  Paul's  arrival,  23; 
return,  48  ;  described,  49. 

Pergamos,  237. 

Pessinus,  18,  99. 

Peter,  absent  from  Palestine,  4  ;  in 
Jerusalem,  63  ;  attitude  toward  Paul, 
65;  conference  of  Apostles,  66; 
speech  in  Paul's  favor,  70;  in  Anti- 
och,  75;  characteristic  action,  76; 
rebuked  by  Paul,  78;  moral  great- 
ness, 79  ;  Rome  his  see.  104,  328  ; 
effects  of  his  Vision,  185  ;  influence 
in  Asia  Minor,  250;  in  Corinth,  265; 
mission  contrasted  with  Paul's,  412 
et  seq. 

Pharisees,  admitted  into  Mother 
Church,  64;  influence,  202  ;  side  with 
Paul,  375. 

Philemon,  246. 

Philip  (S.),  in  Caesarea,  358. 

Philip,  founder  of  Philippi,  110. 

Philippi,  chap.  v.  §  L  ;  described, 
109  et  seq.  ;  pre-eminence  in  the 
Province,  124  ;  revisited  by  Paul, 
348. 

Philippians,  send  alms  to  Thessalo- 
nica,  131;  welcome  Paul's  Epistle, 
204. 

Philo,  223. 

Philosophy  at  Athens,  143,  153. 


Phœbe,   converted,   166  ;    visited    by 
Paul,    213;     bearer    of    Epistle   to 
Romans,  344. 
Phœnicia,  visited  by  Paul,  64. 
Phœnix,  401. 

Phrygia,   its  gods,  18;  elevation,  25; 
religion,   95  ;  visited   by  Paul,    216, 
242. 
PiR^:us,  139. 

Plato,  worship  of  Venus,  10  ;  disci- 
ples, 153. 

Pliny,  quoted,  12,  13;  spread  of 
Christianity,  24. 

PoLiTARCHs'of  Thessalonica,  133. 

PoLYCARP  (S.)  and  S.  Paul,  250. 

PoppyEA,  388. 

Prayer,  in  early  Church,  195;  with 
veiled  head,  197 ,  in  Synagogue  and 
Church,  200. 

Priesthood,  established,  4;  Paul  or- 
dained, 5;  in  Asia  Minor,  48;  Tim- 
othy ordained,  92. 

Priscilla,  in  Corinth,  161  ;  harbors 
Paul,  162;  same  as  Prisca,  162; 
Paul's  fellow  traveller,  213;  meets 
Apollos,  224;  life  in  Ephesus,  225; 
with  Paul  again,  240,  284  ;  in  Rome, 
341. 

Prison  at  Philippi,  119. 

Proconsul,  rank,  12;  Gallio,  182;  of 
Ephesus,  291. 

Prophetesses,  in  early  Church,  197  ; 
in  Cajsarea,  358. 

Prophets,  in  early  Church,  186, 189  ; 
derivation,  190  ;  in  Old  and  New 
Testaments,  191;  gifts,  195;  submis- 
siveness,  196;  duties,  198,  207;  of 
Ephesus,  228;  of  Corinth,  257  ;  of 
Tyre,  357  ;  of  Cfesarea,  359. 

Proselytes,  of  Antioch  in  Pisidia, 
29;  sympathy  with  Paul,  32;  Cir- 
cumcision, 58;  of  Thessalonica,  128; 
desert  Synagogue,  132;  Poppœa,  388. 

Proseuks,  113. 

Psalms,  sung  in  Synagogue  and 
Church,  199. 

Ptolemaïs,  357. 

PuBLius,  Governor  of  Malta,  408. 

Purple,  its  costliness,  114. 

Puteoli,  410. 

Pythagoras,  153. 

Pythoness,  116  et  seq. 

Resurrection,  preached  by  Paul  in 
Athens,  149  ;  before  Areopagus,  152; 
to  Corinthians,  275  et  seq.  ,■  in  Paul's 
theology,  375  ;  before  Sanhédrin,  374; 
before  Felix,  384;  and  Agrippa,  395- 

Rhodes,  described,  356. 


430 


INDEX. 


Romans  (Epistle  to),  chap.  xiv. 

Rome,  rule  in  Asia  Minor,  19,  237, 
291;  how  regarded  by  Paul,  103, 
Colonies,  111;  government  of  Pelo- 
pounessus,  140  ;  triumphs  of  learn- 
ing, 142;  treatment  of  Athens,  149; 
of  Corinth,  158  et  seq.  ;  in  the  Apoc- 
alypse, 219;  Paul's  longing  to  visit 
it,' 285;  appeal  to  Rome,  391;  Paul's 
arrival  in,  62,  411. 

Sabbath,  in  early  Church,  207  et  seq., 
321,  326;  in  Rome,  340. 

Sabazius,  Phrygian  Zeus,  18,  95  et 
seq.  ;  in  Macedonia,  112. 

Salonica,  modern  name  of  Thessalo- 
nica,  126. 

Samaria,  visited  by  Paul,  64. 

Samos,  353. 

Samothrace,  107. 

Sanhédrin,  373  tt  seq. 

Sardis,  218. 

ScEVA  (Seven  Sons  of),  232. 

Scandal,  in  Paul's  teaching,  272. 

Secundus  of  Thessalonica,  185  ;  accom- 
panies Paul  to  Jerusalem,  347. 

Selucia,  described,  7. 

Seleucides,  founders  of  Seleucia,  7; 
of  Antioch  in  Pisidia,  27. 

Sergius  Paulus,  Proconsol  of  Cyprus, 
12;  religious  and  scientific  pursuits, 
13. 

Shema  of  Synagogue,  200  et  seq. 

Shipwreck,  402  et  seq. 

Sidon,  cultus,  95;  revisited  by  Paul, 
398. 

Silas  or  Silvanus,  sent  to  Anti- 
och, 74;  action  there,  80;  Paul's 
companion,  86  et  seq.  ;  journey  to 
Macedonia,  107  et  seq.  ;  whipped  and 
imprisoned  in  Philippi,  122;  journey 
to  Thessalonica,  124  e<  sec.  ,-  in  latter 
city,  127,  persecuted  by  Jews,  132; 
compelled  to  flee,  134^-  remains  in 
Berœa,  137,  146  ;  joins  Paul  in  Cor- 
inth, 164;  remainsin  Jerusalem,  215. 

Simeon,  surnamed  Niger,  2. 

Slaves,  at  Corinth,  166. 

Socrates,  148,  153. 

Sorcery,  at  Ephesus,  332. 

SOSTHENES,  262. 

Spain,  Paul's  projected  visit,  329. 
Spirit  (Holy)  in  early  Church,  187  et 

seq.,   263;    our  bodies  His  temples, 

269. 
Stephanas  of  Corinth,  165,  259,  261  ; 

visits  Paul  at  Ephesus,  261  ;  carries 

Epistle  to  Corinth,  280;  rejoins  Paul 

in  Corinth,  166. 


Stephen,  disciples  in  Jerusalem,  361  ; 
Paul  a|>peals  to  his  martyrdom,  372. 

Stoa  Pcecile,  148. 

Stocks,  119. 

Stoics  of  Athens,  142,  148,  153. 

Sunday,  in  early  Church,  207  et  seq.  ; 
in  Philippi,  350. 

Sylla,  141,  143. 

Synagogue,  of  Antioch  in  Pisidia, 
28;  of  the  Diaspora,  54;  of  Thessa- 
lonica, 127;  plots  against  Paul,  132; 
its  emissaries  in  Berœa,  136;  of 
Athens,  146;  Corinth,  163;  liturgy, 
199  et  seq.  ;  stated  services,  208  ;  of 
Ephesus,  213,  230  ;  excommunica- 
tion, 268. 

Synnada,  95,  218. 

Syria,  visited  by  Paul,  86;  worship, 
95;  "  hem  of  imperial  robe,"  235. 

Syrian  Gates,  86. 

Syrtes,  of  Africa,  403. 

Tarsus,  revisited  by  Paul,  87. 

Taurus,  watershed,  21;  flora,  22; 
pass  crossed  by  Paul,  23;  recrossed, 
48;  in  second 'journey,  88;  in  third 
jouniev,  216. 

Tavium,'  99. 

Teaching  of  the  Twelve  Apostles, 
chap,  viii.,  passim. 

Tectosages,  97. 

Tenedos,  107. 

Tentmaking,  Paul's  trade,  213. 

Temple,  liturgy,  198;  divisions,  366. 

Temple  of  Diana  at  Ephesus,  220. 

Tertius,  transcribes  Paul's  Epistle  to 
the  Romans,  330. 

Tertullus,  High  Priest's  advocate, 
382  et  seq. 

Theatre  of  Ephesus,  219,  288. 

Thekla,  36. 

Theology  of  Paul,  415. 

Thermopyl^,  139. 

Thessalonians,  of  Pagan  birth,  128; 
sentiments  concerning  Parousia, 
129;  persecutions,  134;  Paul's  anxie 
ties  for  them,  146;  1st  Epistle,  169  et 
seq.;  common  failings,  171;  2d 
Epistle,  175;  welcome  given  Paul's 
Epistles,  204. 

Thessalonica,  chap.  v.  §  H.;  con- 
trasted with  Ephesus,  215,  235; 
power  of  Jewish  residents,  348. 

Thyatira,  101;  home  of  Lydia,  114. 

Timothy,  famil}-,  43  ;  growth,  89  ; 
chosen  by  Paul,  90;  circumcised,  92; 
character,  and  relations  with  Paul, 
93  et  seq.  ;  remains  in  Philippi,  123; 
visits  Paul  in  Athens,   146;  rejoins 


INDEX, 


431 


him  in  Corinth,  164;  in  Thessa- 
lonica,  169  ;  accompanies  Paul  to 
Ephesus,  215;  sent  to  Corinth,  260; 
praised  in  Epistle  to  Corinth,  266; 
Paul's  apprehensions  for  him,  280; 
rejoins  Paul  in  Macedonia,  293  ;  with 
him  in  Corinth,  312;  accompanies 
Paul  to  Jerusalem,  317  ;  with  him  in 
CaBsarea,  387. 
Titus,  chosen  by  Paul,  60;  accom- 
panies him  to  Jerusalem,  63  ;  ques- 
tion of  his  circumcision,  QQ  et  seq.  ; 
in  Antioch,  80;  accompanies  Paul  to 
Ephesus,  216;  sent  to  Achaia,  282; 
returns  to  Paul,  294;  bearer  ot  2d 
Epistle  to  Corinth,  300,  311  ;  rejoins 
Paul,  312. 

TOLISTOBII,  97. 

Troas,  102  et  seq.  ;  Paul's  visit,  292  ; 

later  on,  350. 
Trocmes,  97. 
Tyana,  88. 

Tyrannus  (School  of),  230,  240. 
Tyke,  visited  by  Paul,  356. 


Unity  of  Church,  296. 
Unknown  Gods,  151. 
Upper  Chamber  (  Cœnaculum),  350. 

Venus  of  Cyprus,  9  ;  shrine  at  Paphos, 

12  ;  of  Corinth,  160. 
Vipers  of  Malta,  408. 
Virginity,  269. 

Whipping  (in  the  Synagogue),  37; 
suffered  by  Paul  in  Ephesus,  230. 

Whipping  *(bv  Roman  authorities), 
119;  regulated  by  law,  122,  372. 

Women,  of  Antioch  in  Pisidia,  28; 
ofRciousness  in  religious  affairs,  33  ; 
privileges  in  Macedonia,  112,  1Î5; 
converts  of  Thessalonica,  128;  of 
Berœa,  136  ;  of  Corinth,  166  ;  their 
forwardness,  167;  "Prophetesses," 
197  ;  heads  must  be  veiled,  198 ,  of 
Corinth,  258,  273. 

Zend,    154. 


WORKS   BY 

The  Abbé  Constant  Fonard, 

Honorary  Cathedral  Canon,   Professor  of  the  Faculty  of  Theology  .at   Rouen, 

etc.,   etc. 


THE   CHRIST,  THE   SON   OF   GOD. 

A  Life  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  Translated  from  the 
Fifth  Edition  with  the  Author's  Sanction.  By  the  Rev.  George 
F.  X.  Griffith.  With  an  Introduction  by  Cardinal  Manning. 
With  3  maps.  2  volumes.  Small  8vo,  gilt  top,  $4.00.  Half 
morocco,  $7.50. 

"  This  life  of  Christ,  as  Cardinal  Manning  says  in  his  introduction,  is  a  golden 
book.  It  was  written  in  the  best  style  by  one  who  had  thoroughly  fitted  himself 
for  the  task.  The  Abbé  Fouard  has  wandered  through  the  Hol^  Land  from  Dan 
to  Beersheba,  and  knows  the  geography  and  topography  perfectly  ;  and  he  has 
made  himself  thoroughly  familiar  with  all  the  Oriental  customs,  so  that  he  was 
well  equipped  to  reproduce  the  scenes  of  our  Lord's  life. 

His  thorough  acquaintance  with  the  modern  controversies, 'with  Strauss  and 
Baur  and  Renan  ;  his  extensive  reading  among  English  commentators  as  well  as 
German  ones  ;  his  purpose,  too,  of'banishing  the  contentious  spirit  and  of  preserv- 
ing the  piety  of  a  devout  and  prayful  Christian — all  this  has  combined  to  make  his 
book  one  of  the  highest  merit.  .  .  .  One  of  the  best  devotional,  and  at  the  same 
time  scholarly,  lives  of  Christ  ever  written.  Mr.  Griffith  has  done  his  work 
well.  His  style  runs  along  as  smoothly  as  a  limpid  stream,  and  the  translation 
is  characterized  by  such  an  absence  of  the  French  idiom  that  one  would  never 
know  that  the  book  came  from  a  foreign  tongue.  It  interests  one  like  an  intensely 
absorbing  novel — far  more  interesting  than  Ben  Hur,  because  all  the  scenes  are 
woven  about  the  Christ  as  the  central  figure.  The  imagery  is  as  vivid,  the  char- 
acter-painting as  strong,  and  the  scenes  as  well  depicted  as  the  most  fastidious 
novel-reader  could  desire." — Catholic  World. 

SAINT   PETER  AND  THE  FIRST  YEARS 
OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

Translated  from  the  Second  Edition  with  the  Author's  Sanction.  By 
the  Rev.  George  F.  X.  Griffith.  With  an  Introduction  by  H.  E. 
Cardinal  Gibbons.     With  3  maps.     Small  8vo,  gilt  top,  $2.00. 

"  Fouard  certainly  tells  us  what  we  know  before,  but  never  so  distinctly  and 
in  such  fulness  as  now.  Peter  and  the  other  Apostles  seem  to  stand  before  us  as 
living  men.     .     .     .     Abbé  Fouard's  book  will  help  to  make  the  truth  knoMii. 

We  cannot  but  acknowledge  our  great  indebtedness  to  Mr.  Griffith  for  put- 
ting this  great  work  within  the  reach  of  English  readers." 

— New  York  Catholic  World. 

"  This  history  of  St.  Peter  will  be  found  absorbingly  interesting.  The  book  is 
not  brief,  but  no  one  who  begins  it  will  weary  until  the  end  is  reached,  and  every 
one  will  regret  that  it  is  not  longer." — Boston  Pilot. 

"  Altogether  this  is  a  very  admirable  book  ;  and  certainly  on  the  subjects  of 
which  it  treats  it  is  the  best  book  which  has  been  translated  into  the  English  lan- 
guage.   The  translation  is  as  good  as  it  could  be." — Catholic  Book  News. 

SAINT   PAUL   AND   HIS   MISSIONS. 

Translated  with  the  Author's  Sanction  and  Co-operation.  By  the 
Rev.  George  F.  X.  Griffith.  With  2  maps.  Small  8vo,  gilt 
top,  $2.00, 

LONGMANS,    GREEN,    &    CO.,    Publishers. 


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CARDINAL   NEWMAN'S   WORKS. 
Parochial  and  Plain  Sermons.    Edited  by  Rev.  w.  J.  Copeland,  B.D., 

late  Rector  of  Farnham,  Essex.     8  vols.     Sold  separately.     Crown 
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Contents  of  Vol.  I.  : — Holiness  necessary  for  Future  Blessedness — The  Immortality 
of  the  Soul— Knowledge  of  God's  Will  without  Obedience— Secret  Faults— Self-Denial  the 
Test  of  Religious  Earnestness— The  Spiritual  Mind— Sins  of  Ignorance  and  Weakness— 
God's  Commandments  not  Grievous— The  Religious  Use  of  Excited  Feelings— Profession 
without  Practice— Profession  without  Hypocrisy- Profession  without  Ostentation- 
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Mysteries— The  Self-Wise  Inquirer— Obedience  the  Remedy  for  Religious  Perplexity— Times 
of  Private  Prayer— Forms  of  Private  Prayer— The  Resurrection  of  the  Body— Witnesses  of 
the  Resurrection— Christian  Reverence— The  Religion  of  the  Day— Scripture  a  Record  of 
Human  Sorrow— Christian  Manhood. 

Contents  of  Vol.  II.  :— The  World's  Benefactors— Faith  without  Sight— The  Incar- 
nation—Martyrdom—Love of  Relations  and  Friends— The  Mind  of  Little  Children- 
Ceremonies  of  the  Church— The  Glory  of  the  Christian  Church— St.  Paul's  Conversion 
viewed  in  Reference  to  his  Office — Secrecy  and  Suddenness  of  Divine  Visitations — Divine 
Decrees— The  Reverence  Due  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary— Christ,  a  Quickening  Spirit- 
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Ministry— Human  Responsibility— Guilelessness— The  Danger  of  Riches— The  Powers  of 
Nature— The  Danger  of  Accomplishments— Christian  Zeal— Use  of  Saints'  Days. 


A  SELECT  LIST  OF  WORKS 


CARDINAL  NEWMAN'S  WORKS. 
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Contents  of  Vol.  III.  : — Abraham  and  Lot — Wilfulness  of  Israel  in  Rejecting  Samuel 
— Saul — Early  Years  of  David — Jeroboam — Faith  and  Obedience — Christian  Repentance — 
Contracted  Views  in  Religion^A  Particular  Providence  as  revealed  in  the  Gospel — Tears 
of  Christ  at  the  Grave  of  Lazarus — Bodily  Suffering — The  Humiliation  of  the  Eternal  Son 
— Jewish  Zeal  a  Pattern  to  Christians — Submission  to  Church  Authority — Contest  between 
Truth  and  Falsehood  in  the  Church — The  Church  Visible  and  Invisible — The  VisibU 
Church  and  Encouragement  to  Faith— The  Gift  of  the  Spirit— Regenerating  Baptism— Infant 
Baptism — The  Daily  Service — The  Good  Part  of  Mary — Religious  Worship  a  Remedy  for 
Excitements — Intercession — The  Intermediate  State. 

Contents  of  Vol  IV.  : — The  Strictness  of  the  Law  of  Christ — Obedience  without  Love, 
as  instanced  in  the  Character  of  Balaam — Moral  Consequences  of  Single  Sins — Acceptance 
of  Religious  Privileges  Compulsory — Reliance  on  Religious  Observances — The  Individuality 
of  the  Soul — Chastisement  amid  Mercy — Peace  and  Joy  amid  Chastisement — The  State  of 
Grace — The  Visible  Church  for  the  Sake  of  the  Elect — The  Communion  of  Saints — The 
Church  a  Home  for  the  Lonely — The  Invisible  World — The  Greatness  and  Littleness  of 
Human  Life — Moral  Effects  of  Communion  with  God — Christ  Hidden  from  the  World — 
Christ  Manifested  in  Remembrance — The  Gainsaying  of  Korah — The  Mysteriousness  of 
our  Present  Being — The  Ventures  of  Faith — Faith  and  Love — Watching — Keeping  Fast 
and  Festival. 

Contents  of  Vol.  V.  : — Worship,  a  Preparation  for  Christ's  Coming — Reverence,  a 
Belief  in  God's  Presence — Unreal  Words — Shrinking  from  Christ's  Coming — Equanimity — 
Remembrance  of  Past  Mercies — The  Mystery  of  Godliness — The  State  of  Innocence — 
Christian  Sympathy — Righteousness  not  of  us,  but  in  us — The  Law  of  the  Spirit — The  New 
Works  of  the  Gospel — The  State  of  Salvation — Transgressions  and  Infirmities — Sins  of 
Infirmity — Sincerity  and  Hypocrisy — The  Testimony  of  Conscience— Many  called.  Few 
chosen — Present  Blessings — Endurance,  the  Christian's  Portion — Affliction,  a  School  of 
Comfort— The  Thought  of  God,  the  Stay  of  the  Soul— Love,  the  One  Thing  Needful— The 
Power  of  the  Will. 

Contents  of  Vol.  VI.  :— Fasting,  a  Source  of  Trial— Life,  the  Season  of  Repentance- 
Apostolic  Abstinence,  a  Pattern  for  Christians— Christ's  Privations,  a  Meditation  for  Chris- 
tians— Christ  the  Son  of  God  made  Man — The  Incarnate  Son,  a  Sufferer  and  Sacrifice — 
The  Cross  of  Christ  the  Measure  of  the  World — Difficulty  of  realising  Sacred  Privileges — 
The  Gospel  Sign  Addressed  to  Faith — The  Spiritual  Presence  of  Christ  in  the  Church — 
The  Eucharistie  Presence — Faith  the  Title  for  Justification — Judaism  of  the  Present  Day 
— The  Fellowship  of  the  Apostles — Rising  with" Christ — Warfare  the  Condition  of  Victory 
— Waiting  for  Christ — Subjection  of  the  Reason  and  Feelings  to  the  Revealed  Word — 
The  Gospel  Palaces — The  Visible  Temple — Offerings  for  the  Sanctuary — The  Weapons 
of  Saints— Faith  Without  Demonstration— The  Mystery  of  the  Holy  Trinity— Peace  in 
Believing. 

Contents  of  Vol.  VII.: — The  Lapse  of  Time — Religion,  a  Weariness  to  the  Natural 
Man — The  World  our  Enemy — The  Praise  of  Men — Temporal  Advantages — The  Season  of 
Epiphany— The  Duty  of  Self-Denial— The  Yoke  of  Christ— Moses  the  Type  of  Christ— The 
Crucifixion — Attendance  on  Holy  Communion — The  Gospel  Feast — Love  of  Religion,  a  new 
Nature — Religion  Pleasant  to  the  Religious — Mental  Prayer — Infant  Baptism — The  Unity 
of  the  Church— Steadfastness  in  the  Old  Paths. 

Contents  of  Vol.  VIII.  :— Reverence  in  Worship— Divine  Calls— The  Trial  of  Saul— 
The  Call  of  David— Curiosity,  a  Temptation  to  Sin— Miracles  no  Remedy  for  Unbelief— 
Josiah,  a  Pattern  for  the  Ignorant — Inward  Witness  to  the  Truth  of  the  Gospel — Jeremiah, 
a  Lesson  for  the  Disappointed — Endurance  of  the  World's  Censure — Doing  Glory  to  God 
in  Pursuits  of  the  World— Vanity  of  Human  Glory— Truth  Hidden  when  not  Sought  after 
—Obedience  to  God  the  Way  to  Faith  in  Christ— Sudden  Conversions— The  Shepherd  of 
our  Souls — Religious  Joy — Ignorance  of  Evil. 

Sermons  Preached  on  Various  Occasions.      Crown  8vo.     Cabinet 

Edition,  6s.  ;  Popular  Edition,  3s.  6d. 

Contents:— Intellect  the  Instrument  of  Religious  Training— The  Religion  of  the 
Pharisee  and  the  Religion  of  Mankind — Waiting  for  Christ — The  Secret  Power  of  Divine 
Grace — Dispositions  for  Faith — Omnipotence  in  Bonds — St.  Paul's  Characteristic  Gift — 
St.  Paul's  Gift  of  Sympathy— Christ  upon  the  Waters— The  Second  Spring— Order,  the 
Witness  and  Instrument  of  Unity— The  Mission  of  St.  Philip  Neri— The  Tree  beside  the 
Waters— In  the  World  but  not  of  the  World— The  Pope  and  the  Revolution. 


PUBLISHED  BY  LONGMANS,  GREEN,  &-  CO. 


CARDINAL  NEWMAN'S  WORKS. 
Selection,  Adapted  to  the  Seasons  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Year, 

from  the  '  Parochial  and  Plain  Sermons.'  Edited  by  the  Rev.  W. 
J.  CoPELAND,  B.D.  Crown  8vo.  Cabinet  Edition,  5s.  ;  Popular 
Edition,  3s.  6d. 

Contents:— ^rfî'CH/;  Self-Denial  the  Test  of  Religious  Earnestness— Divine  Calls— 
The  Ventures  of  Faith— Watching.  Christmas  Day  :  Religious  Joy.  New  Year's  Sunday  : 
The  Lapse  of  Time.  Epiphany:  Remembrance  of  Past  Mercies  —  Equanimity— The 
Immortality  of  the  Soul  —  Christian  Manhood  —  Sincerity  and  Hypocrisy  —  Christian 
Sympathy.  Septuagesiina  :  Present  Blessings.  Se.va,<:fsima  :  Endurance,  the  Christian's 
Portion.  Quinqnagesima  :  Love,  the  One  Thing  Needful.  Lent  :  The  Individuality  of  the 
Soul— Life,  the  Season  of  Repentance— Bodily  Suffering— Tears  of  Christ  at  the  Grave  of 
Lazarus— Christ's  Privations,  a  Meditation  for  Christians— The  Cross  of  Christ  the  Measure 
of  the  ;World.  Good  Friday  :  The  Crucifixion.  Easter  Day  :  Keeping  Fast  and  Festval. 
Easter  Tide  :  Witnesses  of  the  Resurrection— A  Particular  Providence  as  revealed  in  the 
Gospel— Christ  Manifested  in  Remembrance— The  Invisible  World-Waiting  for  Christ. 
Ascension:  Warfare  the  Condition  of  Victory.  Snnday  after  Ascension:  Rising  with 
Christ.  Whitsun  Day  :  The  Weapons  of  Saints.  Trinity  Sunday:  The  Mysteriousness 
of  our  Present  Being.  Sundays  after  Trinity:  Holiness  Necessary  forlFuture  Blessedness 
—The  Religious  Use  of  Excited  Feelings— The  Self-Wise  Inquirer— Scripture  a  Record  of 
Human  Sorrow— The  Danger  of  Riches— Obedience  without  Love,  as  instanced  in  the 
Character  of  Balaam— Moral  Consequences  of  Single  Sins— The  Greatness  and  Littleness 
of  Human  Life— Moral  Effects  of  Communion  with  God— The  Thought  of  God  the  Stay  of 
the  Soul— The  Power  of  the  Will— The  Gospel  Palaces— Religion  a  Weariness  to  the 
Natural  Man— The  World  our  Enemy— The  Praise  of  Men— Religion  Pleasant  to  the 
Religious— Mental  Prayer— Curiosity  a  Temptation  to  Sin— Miracles  no  Remedy  for  Un- 
belief-Jeremiah, a  Lesson  for  the  Disappointed— The  Shepherd  of  our  Souls— Doing  Glory 
to  God  in  Pursuits  of  the  World. 

Sermons  Bearing  upon  Subjects  of  the  Day.    Edited  by  the  Rev. 

W.  J.  CoPELAND,   B.D.,  late   Rector  of  Farnham,    Essex.      Crown 
8vo.     Cabinet  Edition,  5s.  ;  Popular  Edition,  3s.  6d. 

Contents  :— The  Work  of  the  Christian— Saintliness  not  Forfeited  by  the  Penitent- 
Cur  Lord's  Last  Supper  and  His  First— Dangers  to  the  Penitent— The  Three  Offices  of 
Christ— Faith  and  Experience— Faith  unto  the  World— The  Church  and  the  World— In- 
dulgence in  Religious  Privileges— Connection  between  Personal  and  Public  Improvement 
—Christian  Nobleness— Joshua  a  Type  of  Christ  and  His  Followers— Elisha  a  Type  of 
Christ  and  His  Followers— The  Christian  Church  a  Continuation  of  the  Jewish -The 
Principles  of  Continuity  between  the  Jewish  and  Christian  Churches— The  Christian 
Church  an  Imperial  Power— Sanctity  the  Token  of  the  Christian  Empire— Condition  of  the 
Members  of  the  Christian  Empire— The  Apostolic  Christian— Wisdom  and  Innocence- 
Invisible  Presence  of  Christ— Outward  and  Inward  Notes  of  the  Church— Grounds  for 
Steadfastness  in  our  Religious  Profession— Elijah  the  Prophet  of  the  Latter  Days— Feast- 
ing in  Captivity— The  Parting  of  Friends. 

Fifteen   Sermons   Preached   before   the  University   of  Oxford, 

between  a.d.   1826  and   1843.     Crown  8vo.     Cabinet  Edition,  5s.  ; 
Popular  Edition,  3s.  6d. 

Contents  :— The  Philosophical  Temper,  first  enjoined  by  the  Gospel— The  Influence  of 
Natural  and  Revealed  Religion  respectively— Evangelical  Sanctity  the  Perfection  _  of 
Natural  Virtue— The  Usurpations  of  Reason— Personal  Influence,  the  Means  of  Propagating 
the  Truth— On  Justice  as  a  Principle  of  Divine  Governance— Contest  between  Faith 
and  Sight— Human  Responsibility,  as  independent  of  Circumstances— Wilfulness,  the  Sin 
of  Saul— Faith  and  Reason,  contrasted  as  Habits  of  Mind— The  Nature  of  Faith  in  Relation 
to  Reason— Love,  the  Safeguard  of  Faith  against  Superstition— Implicit  and  Exphcit 
Reason— Wisdom,  as  contrasted  with  Faith  and  with  Bigotry— The  Theory  of  Develop- 
ments in  Religious  Doctrine. 


A  SELECT  LIST  OF  WORKS 


CARDINAL  NEWMAN'S  WORKS. 
Discourses    Addressed   to    Mixed    Congregations.      Crown   8vo. 

Cabinet  Edition,  6s.  ;    Popular  Edition,  3s.  6d. 

Contents  : — The  Salvation  of  the  Hearer  the  Motive  of  the  Preacher — Neglect  of  Divine 
Calls  and  Warnings — Men  not  Angels — The  Priests  of  the  Gospel — Purity  and  Love — 
Saintliness  the  Standard  of  Christian  Principle — God's  Will  the  End  of  Life — Perseverance 
in  Grace — Nature  and  Grace — Illuminating  Grace — Faith  and  Private  Judgment — Faith 
and  Doubt — Prospects  of  the  Catholic  Missioner — Mysteries  of  Nature  and  of  Grace — The 
Mystery  of  Divine  Condescension — The  Infinitude  of  Divine  Attributes — Mental  Sufferings 
of  our  Lord  in  His  Passion — The  Glories  of  Mary  for  the  Sake  of  Her  Son — On  the  Fitness 
of  the  Glories  of  Mary. 

Lectures  on  the  Doctrine  çf  Justification.     Crown  8vo.     Cabinet 

Edition,  5s.  ;  Popular  Edition,  3s.  6d. 

Contents  : — Faith  considered  as  the  Instrumental  Cause  of  Justification — Love  con- 
sidered as  the  Formal  Cause  of  Justification — Primary  Sense  of  the  term  'Justification' — 
Secondary  Senses  of  the  term  '  Justification  ' — Misuse  of  the  term  '  Just  '  or  '  Righteous  ' — 
The  Gift  of  Righteousness — The  Characteristics  of  the  Gift  of  Righteousness — Righteous- 
ness viewed  as  a  Gift  and  as  a  Quality — Righteousness  the  Fruit  of  our  Lord's  Resurrection 
— The  Office  of  Justifying  Faith— The  Nature  of  Justifying  Faith — Faith  viewed  relatively 
to  Rites  and  Works — On  Preaching  the  Gospel — Appendix. 

On  the  Development  of  Christian  Doctrine.    Crown  8vo.    Cabinet 

Edition,  6s.  ;  Popular  Edition,  3s.  6d. 

On  the  Idea  of  a  University.  Crown  Svo.  Cabinet  Edition,  7s.  ; 
Popular  Edition,  3s.  6d. 

An  Essay  in  Aid  of  a  Grammar  of  Assent.    Crown  Svo.    Cabinet 

Edition,  ys.  6d,  ;  Popular  Edition,  3s.  6d. 

Two  Essays  on  Miracles.  i.  Of  Scripture.  2.  Of  Ecclesiastical 
History.  Crown  Svo.  Cabinet  Edition,  6s.  ;  Popular  Edition, 
3s.  6d. 

Discussions   and    Arguments.       Crown    Svo.      Cabinet    Edition,    6s.; 
Popular  Edition,  3s.  6d. 
I.  How  to  accomplish  it.     2.  The  Antichrist  of  the  Fathers.     3.  Scrip- 
ture and  the  Creed.     4.     Tamworth  Reading-room.     5.  Who's  to  Blame? 
6.  An  Argument  for  Christianity. 

Essays,   Critical   and   Historical.     2  vols.     Crown   Svo.     Cabinet 

Edition,  12s.  ;  Popular  Edition,  7s. 
I.  Poetry.  2.  Rationalism.  3.  Apostolic  Tradition.  4.  De  la  Men- 
nais.  ,5.  Palmer  on  Faith  and  Unity.  6.  St.  Ignatius.  7.  Prospects  of 
the  Anghcan  Church.  8.  The  Anglo-American  Church.  9.  Countess  of 
Huntingdon.  10.  CathoHcity  of  the  Anglican  Church.  11.  The  Anti- 
christ of  Protestants.  12.  Milman's  Christianity.  13.  Reformation  of 
the  XI.  Century.     14.  Private  Judgment.     15.  Davison.     16.  Keble. 

Apologia  pro  Vita  Sua.  Crown  Svo.  Cabinet  Edition,  6s.  ;  Popular 
Edition,  3s.  6d. 

Verses  on  Various  Occasions.  Crown  Svo.  Cabinet  Edition,  6s.  ; 
Popular  Edition,  3s.  6d. 


PUBLISHED  BY  LONGMANS,  GREEN,  &-  CO.  5 

CARDINAL  NEWMAN'S  WORKS. 
Historical  Sketches.  3  ^ols.  Crown  8vo.  Cabinet  Edition,  6s.  each  ; 
Popular  Edition,  3s.  6d. 
I.  The  Turks.  2.  Cicero.  3.  Apollonius.  4.  Primitive  Christianity. 
5.  Church  of  the  Fathers.  6.  St.  Chrysostom.  7.  Theodoret.  8.  St. 
Benedict.  9.  Benedictine  School?.  10.  Universities.  11.  Northmen  and 
Normans.     12.   Mediaeval  Oxford.     13.  Convocation  of  Canterbury. 

The  Arians  of  the  Fourth  Century.    Crown  Svo.    Cabinet  Edition, 

6s.  ;  Popular  Edition.  3s.  6d. 

Select  Treatises  of  St.    Athanasius   in   Controversy  with  the 

Arians      Freely  translated.     2  vols.     Crown  Svo.     Cabinet  Edition, 

15s.  ;  Popular  Edition,  7s. 
Theological    Tracts.       Crown    Svo.       Cabinet    Edition,    8s.  ;     Popular 

Edition,  3s.  6d. 
I.  Dissertatiunculae.      2.    On  the    Text   of  the    Seven    Epistles   of  St. 
Ignatius.     3.  Doctrinal  Causes  of  Arianism.      4.  Apollinarianism.     5.   St. 
Cyril's  Formula.     6.  Ordo  de  Tempore.     7.  Douay  Version  of  Scriptures. 

The  Via  Media  of  the  Anglican  Church.     2  Vols.     Crown  Svo. 

Cabinet  Edition,  6s.  each  ;  Popular  Edition,  3s.  6d.  each. 
Vol.     I.  Prophetical  Office  of  the  Church. 
Vol.   II.   Occasional  Letters  and  Tracts. 

Certain  Difficulties  felt  by  Anglicans  in  Catholic  Teaching  Con- 
sidered.   2  vols. 
Vol.     I.    Twelve    Lectures.       Crown    8vo.      Cabinet    Edition,    7s.    6d.  ; 

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the   Duke  of  Norfolk  in  defence  of  the  Pope  and  Council. 
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May.     Novena  of  St.  Philip.      Part  II.     The  Stations  of  the  Cross. 

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Part  III.     Meditations  on  Christian  Doctrine.     Conclusion.     Oblong 

Crown  Svo.     5s.  Jiet. 


A  SELECT  LIST  OF  WORKS 


CARDINAL  NEWMAN'S  WORKS. 

COMPLETION  OF  THE  POPULAR  EDITION, 


Parochial  and  Plain  Sermons.      8  vols.      Each 

Sermons  preached  on  Various  Occasions 

Selection,  from  the  Parochial  and  Plain  Sermons 

Sermons  bearing  on  Subjects  of  the  Day 

Sermons  preached  before  the  University  of  Oxford 

Discourses  addressed  to  Mixed  Congregations 

Lectures  on  the  Doctrine  of  Justification 

On  the  Development  of  Christian  Doctrine 

On  the  Idea  of  a  University 

An  Essay  in  Aid  of  a  Grammar  of  Assent 

Biblical  and  Ecclesiastical  Miracles 

Discussions  and  Arguments  on  Various  Subjects 

Essays,  Critical  and  Historical.     2  vols. 

Historical  Sketches.     3  vols.     Each 

The  Arians  of  the  Fourth  Century 

The  Via  Media  of  the  Anglican  Church.     2  vols. 

Difficulties  felt  by  Anglicans  considered.     2  vols. 

Present  Position  of  Catholics  in  England 

Apologia  pro  Vita  Sua   . 

Theological  Tracts 

Select  Treatises  of  St.  Athanasius.     2  vols. 

Verses  on  Various  Occasions     . 

Loss  and  Gain    .... 

Callista    ..... 


Each 
Each 


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FOUARD.— The  Christ,  The  Son  of  God.     A  Life  of  Our  Lord 

and    Saviour    Jesus    Christ,      3y   the    Abbé    Constant   Fouard, 

Honorary  Cathedral  Canon,  Professor  of  the  Faculty  of  Theology 

at  Rouen,  etc.,  etc.      Translated  from   the  Fifth  Edition  with  the 

Author's    sanction.       By    George    F,    X.    Griffith.       With    an 

Introduction     by    Cardinal    Manning.       Third     Edition,       With 

3  Maps.     2  vols.     Crown  8vo.      14s. 

"In  erudition  the  author  is  to  the  full  up  to  the  level  of  any  writers,  Catholic  or 
Protestant,  who  have  as  yet  attempted  the  same  task,  while  his  reliableness  in  matters 
of  dogma  gives  him  an  enormous  scientific  advantage  over  non-Catholics." — Dublin  Review. 

Saint   Peter  and   the   First  Years  of  Christianity.     By  the 

Abbé  Constant  Fouard.     Translated  by  George  F.  X.  Griffith. 
Crown  8vo.     gs. 
St.   Paul    and  His  Missions.      By  the  Abbé   Constant    Fouard. 
Translated,  with  the  Author's  sanction  and  co-operation,  by  George 
F.  X.  Griffith,     With  2  Maps.     Crown  8vo.     gs. 


PUBLISHED  BY  LONGMANS,  GREEN  &  CO.  7 

CHRISTIAN  BIOGRAPHIES  : 

Henri  Dominique  Lacordaire.    A  Biographical  Sketch.    By  H.  L. 

Sidney  Lear.     With  Frontispiece.     Crown  8vo.     3s.  6d. 

A  Christian  Painter  of  the  Nineteenth  Century  ;  being  the  Life 

of  Hippolyte  Flandrin.  By  H.  L.  Sidney  Lear.  Crown  8vo. 
3s.  6d. 

Bossuet  and   his   Contemporaries.     By   H.   L.    Sidney   Lear. 

Crown  8vo.     3s.  6d. 

Fénelon,  Archbishop  of  Cambrai.     A  Biographical  Sketch.     By 

H.  L.  SiDNEx  Lear.     Crown  Svo.     3s.  6d. 
A   Dominican   Artist.       A    Sketch   of  the   Life   of    the    Rev.    Père 
Besson,  of  the  Order  of  St.   Dominic.      By  H.  L.  Sidney  Lear. 
Crown  Svo.     3s.  6d. 

The  Life  of  Madame  Louise  de  France,  Daughter  of  Louis  XV., 

also  known  as  the  Mother  Thérèse  de  S.  Augustin.  By  H.  L. 
Sidney  Lear.     Crown  Svo.     3s.  6d. 

The  Revival  of  Priestly  Life  in  the  Seventeenth  Century  in 

France.  Charles  de  Condren — S.  Philip  Neri  and  Cardinal  de 
Berulle — S.  Vincent  de  Paul — S.  Sulpice  and  Jean  Jacques  Olier. 
By  H.  L.  Sidney  Lear.     Crown  Svo.     3s.  6d. 

Life  of  S.  Francis  de  Sales,  Bishop  and  Prince  of  Geneva.  By  H. 
L.  Sidney  Lear.     Crown  Svo.     3s.  6d. 

Henri  Perreyve.  By  A.  Gratry,  Prêtre  de  L'Oratoire,  Professeur 
de  Morale  Evangélique  à  la  Sorbonne,  et  Membre  de  l'Académie 
Française.  Translated,  by  special  permission,  by  H.  L.  Sidney 
Lear.     With  Portrait.     Crown  Svo.     3s,  6d. 

DR  ANE— A  Memoir  of  Mother  Francis  Raphael  O.S.D.  (Augusta 

Theodosia  Drane),  some  time  Prioress  Provincial  of  the  Congregation 
of  Dominican  Sisters  of  S.  Catherine  of  Siena,  Stone.  With  some  of 
her  Spiritual  Notes  and  Letters.  Edited  by  Rev.  Father  Bertrand 
Wilberforce,  O.P.     With  Portrait.     Crown  Svo.     7s.  6d. 

The  History  of  St.  Dominic,  Founder  of  the  Friar  Preachers. 

By  Augusta  Theodora  Drane,  author  of  "The  History  of  St. 
Catherine  of  Siena  and  her  Companions."  With  32  Illustrations. 
Svo.  15s. 
FENELON.— Spiritual  Letters  to  Men.  By  Archbishop  fénelon. 
Translated  by  H.  L.  Sidney  Lear,  author  of  "  Life  of  Fénelon," 
"  Life  of  S.  Francis  de  Sales,"  etc.  etc.  i6mo.  2s.  6d. 
Spiritual  Letters  to  Women.  By  Archbishop  fénelon. 
Translated  by  H.  L.  Sidney  Lear,  author  of  "  Life  of  Fenelon," 
"  Life  of  S.  Francis  de  Sales,"  etc.  etc.     i6mo.     2s.  6d. 


8  A  SELECT  LIST  OF  WORKS. 

JAMESON— Works  by  Mrs.  Jameson  : 

Sacred  and  Legendary  Art.  With  ig  Etchings  and  197  Wood- 
cuts.    2  vols.     Cloth,  gilt  top.     20s.  net. 

Legends  of  the  Madonna:  The  Virgin  Mary  as  Represented  in 
Sacred  and  Legendary  Art.  With  27  Etchings  and  165  Woodcuts. 
I  vol.     Cloth,  gilt  top.     los.  net. 

Legends  of  the  Monastic  Orders.      With  n  Etchings  and  88 

Woodcuts.     I  vol.     Cloth,  gilt  top.      los.  net. 
History  of  the   Saviour,    His   Types   and   Precursors.      Completed 
by  Lady  Eastlake.     With  13  Etchings  and  281  Woodcuts.     2  vols. 
Cloth,  gilt  top.     20s.  net. 

LYONS.— Christianity  or  Infallibility— Both  or  Neither.     By  the 

Rev.  Daniel  Lyons.     Crown  8vo.     5s. 
RAM.— The  Little  Sisters  of  the  Poor.     By  Mrs.  Abel  Ram.     Crown 

8vo.     6s. 

RIVINGTON.— The  Primitive  Church  and  the  See  of  Peter.    By 

the  Rev.  Luke  Rivington,  M.A.  Magdalen  College,  Oxford.  With 
an  Introduction  by  the  Cardinal  Archbishop  of  Westminster. 
8vo.     i6s. 

MANUALS  OF  CATHOLIC  PHILOSOPHY. 

{Stonyhnrst  Series.) 
Edited  by  RICHARD  F.  CLARKE,  S.J. 

Logic.     By  Richard  F.  Clarke,  S.J.     Crown  8vo.     5s. 
First  Principles  of  Knowledge.     By  John  Rickaby,  S.J.     Crown 
8vo.     5s. 

Moral  Philosophy  (Ethics  and  Natural  Law).  By  Joseph 
Rickaby,  S.J.     Crown  8vo.     5s. 

General  Metaphysics.     By  John  Rickaby,  S.J.     Crown  8vo.     5s. 

Psychology.     By  Michael  Maher,  S.J.     Crown  8vo.     6s.  6d. 

Natural  Theology.     By  Bernard  Boedder,  S.J.    Crown  8vo.  6s.  6d. 

Political  Economy.     By  Charles  S.  Devas.     Crown  8vo.     6s.  6d. 

ENGLISH  MANUALS  OF  CATHOLIC  THEOLOGY. 

Outlines  of  Dogmatic  Theology.  By  Sylvester  Joseph  Hunter, 
of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  Crown  8vo.  3  vols.,  6s.  6d.  each.  Vols.  I. 
and  II.  now  ready.     Vol.  III.  nearly  ready. 


LONDON  AND  NEW  YORK:  LONGMANS,  GREEN,  &  CO. 
5000/10/95 


Princeton,  Theola 


ical  seminary  Libraries 


FrryQl252  4403 


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